“It is clear to me that this was a planned theft and not opportunistic”
A man who stole a £95,000 piece of Banksy artwork was today (Thursday) jailed for six months.
Belfast Recorder Judge Patricia Smyth told Adil Hajjaj that he will spend a further six months on supervised licence on his release from prison.
Hajjaj, 50, of Sandymount Street in south Belfast, recently pleaded guilty to the theft of the limited edition ‘Laugh Now’ print from Charles Gilmore Fine Art gallery on April 2 this year. He further pleaded guilty to receiving stolen goods on the same date, namely a bottle of rum from Ross’s Auctioneers.
It was the prosecution case that the incident involved a “high value theft of some £95,000 worth of a piece of art which is a limited edition of a Banksy print”.
Belfast Crown Court heard that at around 4 pm on April 2, the deputy manager was alone in the art gallery as the owner had left. She told police a man entered the gallery and started asking “random questions” about the authenticity of the artwork on display.
“He started to tower over me in an attempt to distract me and divert my attention, physically leaning over me and blocking my view while leaning over me,” she told police.
A minute or so later, a second male entered through the front door and she recognised Hajjaj from his previous visits to the gallery.
She said Hajjaj always arrived in the gallery shortly after the owner left. She added that she heard “rustling and movement in the back of the gallery and he then left carrying the Primark bag which contained a painting”.
The other male continued asking her questions before leaving around 60 seconds later. The deputy manager checked the back of the gallery and noticed a painting which had been on an easel was now missing, a “limited edition Banksy monkey painting which was valued at £95,000”.
The painting was subsequently recovered by police from Hajjaj while he was walking along the nearby Ormeau Road in south Belfast with a co-accused.
Defence barrister Sean O’Hare said Hajjaj made the case that he had “very strong connections to alcohol” and the theft was an attempt by him to get money for alcohol.
“He is originally from Morocco and is seeking asylum here. He lives off £40 per week, lives in accommodation approved and provided by the Home Office and he is not allowed to work because of his asylum application,” outlined Mr O’Hare.
“He states that he was unaware of the value of the item. He had been in the gallery on a number of previous occasions as he does have an interest in art but he did not know the high stated value of the print.
“There was no price on this particular piece of art. In the circles that he moves in there is absolutely no way he was going to obtain anywhere near close to its high value.”
Mr O’Hare said the theft lacked “sophistication” as Hajjaj had walked out with the print in a Primark shopping bag and that was “about the height of the planning involved”.
In her sentencing remarks, the Belfast Recorder said: “It is clear to me that this was a planned theft and not opportunistic. You were involved in this theft and you played your own part in it.”
Judge Smyth said Hajjaj had a relevant previous record in Northern Ireland for theft and dishonesty offences including burglary and going equipped for theft.
The Belfast Recorder stated that despite being given opportunities by the courts to address his underlying alcohol addictions, Hajjaj continued to offend and committed seven thefts between October and December 2024.
Added Judge Smyth: “You committed these offences after being previously warned about the consequences of reoffending. Your limited financial circumstances do not justify your repeated offences of dishonesty. You have shown a complete disregard for the law and also your victims.
“It is obvious from your repeated attendances at the gallery that this was a high end gallery with matters of value.”
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