Graham Arnold and Ioana Nedelcu secure acquittal in highly publicised art heist
Following a successful half time submission after six weeks of prosecution evidence, Graham Arnold leading Ioana Nedelcu secured the acquittal of a Defendant in the case of a highly publicised art heist. The case related to the theft of the Art collection of Esmond Bulmer, of the Bulmers cider dynasty. The Defendant was first on the Indictment in a trial of 11 Defendants. He faced allegations of being the principal in the original burglary of the art collection from the Bulmer’s home in Somerset in 2009 and the handling of the paintings valued at over £2,000,000.
Judge Lambert described the prosecution evidence as “fragments of suspicion and coincidences” and the Court of Appeal upheld his decision commenting that the prosecution had come “nowhere near” providing enough evidence to support the allegations.
During the cross examination of Esmond Bulmer, he slammed the investigation by Avon & Somerset police as being carrier out by “brain dead” and “low calibre” officers.
Skinder Ali was also alleged to be the chief handler of the paintings when they were retrieved from alleged criminal circles in 2013 in arrangements negotiated by private investigators acting for insurance companies. On the 5th of November 2019, the Crown proceeded to offer no evidence on this final remaining count having undertaken “a serious and extensive review of the case.”
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