'Spider Man' Thief Convicted Of Art Theft Might Face 10 years Imprisonment

Vjeran Tomic, otherwise known as the "Spider-Man" burglar has been convicted for theft of paintings from the Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. The Serbian "Spider Man" thief is liable to spend almost 10 years in prison as punishment.

According to Artnet News, the theft took place in 2010. "Spider-Man" thief Tomic and his two companions were involved in the incident that saw five paintings being stolen from the museum. These five Modernist paintings included work by Fernand Leger, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, and Amedeo Modigliani. A clockmaker named Jonathan Birn last week confessed in the court that he was in charge of hiding the five paintings after the heist. But being not able to find a suitable place, he destroyed all the five paintings which were worth almost $116 million combined together. Birn, a confidante of the "Spider-Man" thief is liable to face upto seven years in prison while another antique dealer Jean-Micheal Corvez, a part of the "Spider Man" burglary, can face eight years in prison. All the three are to be hit with the highest amount of fine ranging from $161000 to $322000 according to the prosecution.

The "Spider-Man" thief Tomic said outside the court that it was one his "easiest and biggest heists". He also claimed that the museum was not at all well protected and that there were not enough security guards, which helped him to perform the burglary with much ease. The "Spider-Man" burglar's lawyers also tried to diminish the theft by claiming that the paintings were not valuable enough, so the museum authority did not provide much security for them. The prosecution, though, voiced their decision against the "Spider-Man" theft of the artifacts and termed it one of the worst crimes committed against the heritage of humanity. They have also appealed for the highest possible punishment to be imposed upon the "Spider-Man" burglar and his companions. The final verdict is due on February 20, 2017.

According to The Guardian, Vjeran Tomic, the "Spider-Man" thief told the reporters that he played the role of Arsene Lupin, a charming but shrewd character that broke into the houses of rich Parisians. He claimed to have cut through a padlocked gate and broke a window while entering the museum. The paintings were found missing from their frames as the museum prepared to open the next day morning.

The "Spider-Man" burglar Tomic was caught in 2011 and told the press that he had broken into the museum to acquire Leger's painting named "Still Life with Candlestick" but due to the faulty alarm system and lack of proper security, he was able to take away four other paintings as well. He also said that he took them all because he liked them. The other four paintings were Picasso's "Dove with Green Peas", Matisse's "Pastoral", Braque's "Olive tree near Estaque" and Modigliani's "Woman with a Fan."

Police arrested "Spider-Man" thief Tomic on the basis of an anonymous tip from a homeless man. The surveillance cameras in the museum showed only one person entering through the window but he was unidentifiable. International police body Interpol has also set up an alert in 188 countries in search of the missing paintings. Seven people in Spain has already been arrested in accordance to this theft.   

TagsSpider-Man, Arts, Thief, Burglar, Vjeran Tomic, Paris, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville