UK COURT RETURNS STOLEN ART TO US OWNER

BBC News reports that an American art collector who had paintings valued at £20 million ($39.2 million) stolen from his home in Massachusetts has won a legal battle in London to have them returned to him. Michael Bakwin asked the High Court to award him ownership rights on four canvases, which were taken in 1978 and ended up with Sotheby’s auction house. Retired lawyer Jesse Harlan Alderman was recently arrested in Massachusetts on charges of possessing and attempting to steal the paintings. The court granted a “delivery up” order so Bakwin could reclaim his pictures. A fifth painting has been recovered, and Bakwin’s lawyer said the location of two others was known. “We hope this is the last chapter in a fascinating saga,” solicitor John Wardell told the judge.