Craig Best, 46, and Roger Pilling, 75, were convicted of conspiring to sell criminal property worth £766,000, namely 44 ninth-century coins believed to have been buried by a Viking and which have never been declared as treasure, and have not been handed to the Crown.
Judge James Adkin, sitting at Durham Crown Court, said a further two coins remained outstanding and had been “hidden away”.
He was confident, having heard evidence during a trial last month, that the coins were part of a larger, undeclared find known as the Herefordshire or Leominster Hoard.
The coin enthusiasts were convicted of conspiracy to convert criminal property and a separate charge of possession of criminal property and were jailed for five years and two months.
This story is from the May 05, 2023 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the May 05, 2023 edition of The Independent.
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