Jail for footballer who tried to sell stolen Ming vase

A footballer caught up in a police sting operation after a £1.9m Ming vase was stolen from a museum in Switzerland has been jailed for three years.

Former West Ham Utd youth player Kaine Wright, 26, tried to sell the 14th Century artefact with the help of accomplices Leslie Nkhwa, 47, and 31-year-old David Lamming.

The vase had been stolen during a raid at the Musee des Arts d’Extreme-Orient in Geneva in Switzerland in June 2019, Southwark Crown Court heard.

Lamming admitted conspiracy to convert criminal property while Wright and Nkhwa were convicted by a jury of the same charge.

Judge Martin Griffith said: ‘All three of you had a good idea of the value of the vase.

‘The purpose of this crime was the enrichment of all three of you and others.’

‘You three played a significant role when it was part of a group activity.’

The judge told Wright: ‘You strike me very much as a Jekyll and Hyde character. You were a very likeable chap when you gave evidence but you lied undoubtedly.

‘You are clearly very intelligent. You have a great support network with your partner and your adoptive family.’

Sentencing Lamming to three years and two months the judge said he had taken into account prison conditions when considering the sentence.

‘The circumstances in prisons are bad,’ he said.

Nkhwa was jailed for two-and-a-half years after Judge Griffith cited his past offending, including offences relating to dishonesty and drugs.

‘You were undoubtedly in it for the money. You knew from July that you were dealing with a very valuable stolen item.’

James Thacker, prosecuting, said: ‘On Saturday 1st June 2019 there was a burglary at the Fondation Baur, Musee des Arts d’Extreme-Orient in Geneva, Switzerland.

‘The museum contains artefacts of ceramics, jade and prints from the far east, China and Japan. One of the items stolen was a rare Pomegranate Vase from the Yongle Period (1403-1425AD).

‘Although priceless it was valued for insurance purposes for $2.5m. It is not
suggested that any of these three defendants were involved in that burglary.’

‘These defendants were part of an organised criminal group that attempted to sell this stolen
vase initially for £1m but thereafter settled on an agreed price of £450,000 in cash.

‘Each defendant was highly trusted with details of the vase, photographs of the vase, and that it was a stolen rare artefact.

‘Nkhwa was trusted to attend the exchange with sole possession of the vase.’

‘Lamming attended the first meeting with UCO Richard alone clearly having the authority to broker a deal.

‘He attended the second meeting where there was an open discussion.

‘Wright recruited Lamming, he received updates from Lamming who forwarded him whatsapp messages and emails. He also provided transport to the exchange.

‘All three defendants were involved throughout the conspiracy period.’

‘Mr Wright lied at the trial which he now accepts. He asserted that he did not know there was a vase for sale until a phone conversation with Leslie Nkhwa, that he had no information about the vase other than that it was white and said he did not have a photo of it, and that he was unaware that it was stolen.’

‘I accept that this was one transaction, but this took place over three months, between July and October, and this was because the price initially sought was very high at $1 million, which then had to be negotiated down.’

Robin Shellard, defending Lamming, said: ‘From emails and WhatsApp messages it is very clear that everything had to be run through those above Mr Lamming, and no decisions could be made by Mr Lamming.

‘Mr Lamming himself had no control over those beneath him.

Mr Shellard said that Lamming’s role was to identify a buyer.

He was hoping to gain financially from the conspiracy.

‘The agreement was that he would receive a financial reward.’

‘He clearly hoped he was going to receive some reward.’

‘This was a remarkably unsophisticated operation. There was something almost old-fashioned about it. There was a burglary, a valuable item was stolen, an attempt was made to sell it, a meeting was arranged, and there is going to be an exchange in a hotel room.’

Mr Shellard referred to the conditions in prisons.

‘Considering the current state of the prison estate, a sentence at the lower end of the scale would be appropriate, in the knowledge that the is a man who is not going to re-offend or cause trouble again.’

Molly Dyas, for Nkhwa, told the court that he has seven daughters.

‘His whole family is affected by this.’

She emphasised that Nkhwa is remorseful for his actions.

‘He states that he is now 47, and is too old to be dealing with the result of this kind of offending.

‘He understands that he has to pay for his actions, and that he will miss precious years of his children’s lives.

‘He is remorseful for his actions, the court can give him credit for the remorse he expressed in his letter.’

Ms Dyas also referred to the conditions at Wandsworth Prison where Nkhwa is being held.

She said that the conditions are similar to those during Covid, and that Nkhwa is in effect in lockdown 23 hours a day.

She said Nkhwa has described the conditions as ‘inhumane’.

Minka Braun, defending Wright, said he had wanted to ingratiate himself with his father, who is a serial offender.

‘He made a series of stupid choices to ingratiate himself with his biological father.’

‘His prison report speaks of him in glowing terms.’

‘His remorse expressed through me and in his letter for his actions is a mitigating feature.’

Ms Braun also referred to the conditions at HMP Wandsworth.

‘He is grateful that he gets his once a week shower.

‘He still has warm water which is not available across the prison.’

She also explained that prison visits had been curtailed due to staff shortages.

Wright, of Plumstead, and Nkhwa, of Charlton, denied but we’re convicted of conspiracy to convert criminal property, namely a ‘Pomegranate Bottle Vase from the Yongle Period (1403 – 1425)’, between 31 July 2020 and 15 October 2020.

Lamming, of Lewisham, admitted the charge.
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