
A man has pleaded guilty to the burglary of a studio belonging to artist Damien Hirst with £400,000 of goods stolen.
Liam Middleton-Gomm, 36, ramraided the riverside Thames Wharf building in west London and helped steal hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of original artwork in June.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of burgling the studio, which was password-protected, at Kingston Crown Court today.
His dad Leslie Gomm, 62, has already admitted to handling the stolen goods.
Suleman Hussain, prosecuting, said: ‘The premises in question is a workshop; it is not residential.
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‘When the victim returned to the property they noted that there were items strewn all over the floor.
‘The exit door was open and the window by the fire door was completely smashed open.
‘They believe this is probably how the burglar got in. A police officer has confirmed approximately £400,000 worth of items were stolen.’
Bristol-born, Leeds-raised artist Damien Hirst came to attention in 1988 when he was a student at Goldsmiths, University of London, where he conceived and curated the group exhibition Freeze.
Hirst’s best known artwork includes a pickled shark, a rotting cow’s head and diamond-encrusted skull.
He took home the prestigious Turner Prize in 1995 for his formaldehyde-preserved cow and calf, called Mother And Child, Divided.
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