Crime throughout the Centuries III

Not all crimes involve murder and mayhem ”“ some include the theft of some of the most significant works of art in the world. You wouldn’t think it, but a great deal of priceless pieces has gone missing. In this article, you will learn about a variety of crimes that have taken place throughout the centuries, including information on stolen art.  

Who Recovers Stolen Art?

The rise in theft of famous paintings and other works of art led to the creation of the Art Loss Register in 1991. This database highlights stolen works of arts and contains more than 300,000 works of art. There are hundreds of pieces by Picasso in the registry. Today, the register is the largest private database of lost and stolen art, antiques and collectables in the world.

A Clever Position

While English dramatist and poet Ben Jonson was working as an actor and playwright in 1598, he killed another actor while engaging in a duel. He was placed on trial and successfully defended himself by claiming the right of clergy. This meant that he was able to read the Bible in Latin; therefore his punishment should not be as severe. In the end, he was branded and received a short prison sentence.

Saved by the Accidental Unload

The next time you think about the quirks of the airport, remind yourself of the good fortune that befell novelist Jerzy Kosinski who was on his way from Paris to Los Angeles on August 8, 1969. During his travels, he had a short layover in New York, but here, his luggage was accidentally unloaded. This forced him to get off of the plane and go through customs once again, which led to him missing his connecting flight. These events caused him to miss a visit with the actress Sharon Tate and other friends ”“ which would have placed him in the company of Charles Manson and his disciples. A pregnant Sharon and friends were brutally murdered at the Tate house, and Kosinki would live to tell his tale in the novel titled, ‘Blind Date.’

A Guilty Conscious?

As workers dug in a peat bog in Macclesfield (located in Cheshire, England) on May 13, 1983, they made a discovery they’d rather not have come across. Upon finding a woman’s skull, the local police turned their attention towards Peter Reyn-Bardt ”“ a man who had been long suspected of killing his wife, Malika, who was last seen in 1960. He was now 57 years old and when approached about the skull discovery, Reyn-Bardt confessed to the murder. One month before his trial, experts from Oxford learned that the skull belonged to a woman who had died in the 3rd century AD. Even with this information, Reyn-Bardt was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.