A leading French Impressionist painting was stolen

A leading French Impressionist painting was stolen
from an art collector’s luxury Kensington apartment by a
part-time security guard at the buildings, a court heard
today Monday.

Edouard Vuillard’s ‘Portrait de femme dans l’atelier’
(Lady in a hat) valued at pds stlng 175,000 was stolen from
the home of Chrysalis Records founder Chris Wright.

A second painting by Charles Camoin, ‘Bouquet de
Fleurs’, valued at pds stlng 15,000 was also stolen from Mr
Wright’s home at York House, York House Place, Kensington.

Both paintings were eventually recovered undamaged and
have been returned intact to Mr Wright and his wife Caroline.

Abdelaziz Stitou, 22, who works as a part-time
security guard at York House, told the jury he broke into Mr
Wright’s home and stole both paintings.

But he denied the charge for which he was on trial of handling
stolen goods.

The the jury, which had not been put in charge of
any burglary charge, rejected his defence and found him guilty of
handling stolen paintings.

The court heard that Stitou’s father is a full-time
porter at York House.

He lives with his father in the basement flat at the exclusive
property.

Vuillard (1868-1940), said to have been one of the later
French Impressionists, painted ‘Lady in a hat’, an oil on board
measuring 37 X 65 cm, in 1910.

Mrs Wright said the painting was worth pds stlng
150,000, Sotheby’s auctioneers said it was worth between pds
stlng 80,000 and 100,000, and an art gallery, J P L Fine Arts,
said it was worth pds stlng 175,000.

Prosecutor Mr Ernst Horridge said Mr Wright owned
several valuable works of art and consequently his home was
protected by an elaborate and sophisticated security alarm
system, including four locks on the front door.

Porters guarded the entrance gates to the private road leading
to the property and the main foyer of the building 24 hours a day.

Police said outside court that the burglar must have had
a key to by-pass the alarms.

The court heard the Wrights were away on a Christmas
holiday between December 24 and 28, 1990, when the paintings
were stolen.

Mr Horridge said the couple’s chauffeur, Ann Simpson,
locked the doors and set the alarms before leaving the premises
on December 24.

Four days later on December 28 she returned and
immediately noticed something was wrong.

‘It immediately became apparent the place was in an
untidy state,’ said Mr Horridge.

‘She went into the living room and found the two
paintings missing.

‘
While police investigated the theft, Stitou and co-
defendant Mustapha Housni, 23, went to Caelt Gallery,
Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill, on January 2, 1991.

‘Stitou and Housni asked about Vuillard and said they
had a painting they wanted to sell,’ said Mr Horridge.

They returned the next day and spoke with the gallery
boss, Mr Edward Crawshaw.

Mr Crawshaw drove the two men to Housni’s home at the
Swinbrook council estate, Notting Hill, where they collected the
Vuillard and returned to the gallery.

‘Mr Crawshaw examined the painting and realised it was
genuine,’ said counsel.

‘He made inquiries and discovered the painting was
reported stolen.

‘
Police searched Housni’s home and found the other
painting.

‘It’s all down to me.

It’s got nothing to do with my
brother.

I’ll tell you everything when I’m interviewed,’ Housni
told police.

Housni, an unemployed chef, admitted handling stolen
goods.

He said Stitou had asked him to mind the paintings, but
he had no idea how much they were worth.

Stitou denied receiving the paintings and told the jury
that he was the burglar.

However, the jury found him guilty of handling the
stolen paintings.

Judge Norma Negus said she was sentencing Stitou on the basis
of the jury’s verdict – Stitou was the receiver and not the burglar.

She jailed him for 12 months.

Morrocon-born Stitou had one previous conviction of
assault in 1986 and was fined pds stlng 100.

Housni was jailed for eight months for admitting
handling the stolen paintings.

He was also sentenced to a consecutive 30 months in jail
for a separate offence of conspiracy to obtain property by
deception on May 29, 1991, for which a jury found him guilty.

The court heard Housni tried to launder three stolen
cheques worth a total of pds stlng 145,000.

His plan failed and no money was lost.

Housni, who was discovered to have pds stlng 1,300, was
ordered to pay Crown costs of pds stlng 1,270.

ENDS
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13JAN92 14:34/15:23 GMT