Law, crime and regulation

A 48-year-old man has been sentenced to three years and eight months at Hereford Crown Court for the theft of works of art from churches across the country.

Joseph Chait, a 38-year-old senior auction administrator with IM Chait gallery and auction house in Beverly Hills, has pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to smuggle items of rhino horn, ivory, coral and a hornbill casque.

The Union Customs Code (UCC), designed to standardise how customs information is processed, became law on May 1.

A rare American stamp stolen in 1955 in one of the most famous thefts in philatelic history has been recovered after turning up at Spink.

Police have asked for information from any members of the art and antiques trade who may have had recent dealings with the late Adrian Greenwood who was found dead at his home in Oxford last week.

Russian allegations that ISIS is netting $150-$200m annually from the sale of looted Syrian and Iraqi antiquities have been dismissed by the International Association of Dealers in Ancient Art (IADAA).

The prosecution in the trial of the Cols Rouges – the erstwhile portering staff at Hôtel Drouot, the communal saleroom facility used by most Paris auctioneers – have called for prison sentences of up to five years and fines of €250,000 for those found guilty of theft and criminal conspiracy.

An important drawing by Paolo Veronese (1528-1588) that changed hands in a major private sale has been temporarily stopped from leaving the UK.

Following the death of print dealer Justin Skrebowski, 52,000 people have now signed a petition launched by his widow, Gulsen Alkan, to make knife sales safer.

Police have arrested a third man in connection with the death of antique silver dealer Robyn Mercer.

Tributes have been paid to Robyn Mercer, the antique silver dealer who was found dead at her home in West Molesey, Surrey last week.

Surrey Police have confirmed that a second man was arrested today on suspicion of the murder of antiques dealer Robyn Mercer.

Auction houses selling wine, whisky and other alcoholic drinks to other businesses face criminal convictions and fines up to £10,000 if they fail to register for a new HMRC scheme that aims to police the sale of alcohol to retailers and capture an estimated £1.2bn in unpaid tax.

Police have arrested a man in connection with the murder of antiques dealer Robyn Mercer who was found beaten to death at her home in West Molesey, Surrey.

Tighter regulations surrounding fraud and money laundering are prompting French banks to close the euro accounts of some UK dealers and shippers.

Specialist taxidermy dealer Alexis Turner has lost a significant portion of his stock following an extraordinary raid on a London warehouse.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service have announced a new programme to “help reduce the overall ivory market”.

The British Antiques Dealers Association has met with HM Treasury officials as part of its campaign against HMRC plans to require all businesses to file tax returns on a quarterly, digital basis from 2020.

A temporary export bar has been placed on Femme, a 15in (37cm) plaster sculpture made by Alberto Giacometti c.1928-29.

A decade on since Artist’s Resale Right (ARR) was launched in the UK, over £50m has been collected from auctions and dealers for artists and their heirs.