Overview
- Jurors watched footage of James Love’s van arriving moments after the break-in and of him helping Larry Fraser, who was carrying the Girl with Balloon print, into the vehicle.
- Love testified he did not realise a burglary had occurred until seeing the artwork, denied acting as a getaway driver, and said he left the piece at an Isle of Dogs block to keep it from Fraser.
- Prosecutors say Love coordinated transport, called Fraser multiple times that day, and transferred £200 to him before the theft, with both men’s phones registering near the gallery that evening.
- The court heard Love later produced a hand‑drawn plan at his first appearance that guided police to the recovered print, found under a dust sheet inside a cupboard.
- Fraser has pleaded guilty to burglary; the limited‑edition work, shown at Grove Gallery and valued at about £270,000, remains secure as Love’s trial continues at Kingston Crown Court.