Get Carta! Brazen bid to steal £20m bill of rights from cathedral
A HAMMER-WIELDING raider attempted to steal a £20 million original copy of Magna Carta from its display at Salisbury Cathedral.
Visitors watched in horror as the 45-year-old repeatedly tried to smash his way into the document’s super-strength glass display.
Police descended on the Wiltshire cathedral and detained the man, who had posed as a tourist to carry out the attempted heist on Thursday.
He was being questioned last night on suspicion of attempted theft, possession of an offensive weapon and criminal damage.
Magna Carta, which means ‘The Great Charter’ in Latin, is one of history’s most important documents. It was signed by King John in 1215 and established the principle that everyone is subject to law and a fair justice system, and guaranteed the rights of barons and the church against arbitrary rule by the monarch.
The version on display at Salisbury Cathedral is the best-preserved of the four surviving original copies. Two are in the British Library, and the other at Lincoln Cathedral. Police said it was not damaged in the incident.
The cathedral was evacuated, with tourists and choristers in blue gowns gathered outside as police escorted the man into a waiting van. Raymond Molin-Wilkinson, 66, of Salisbury, was taking pictures around the city when he saw a group of around 100 people evacuated from the cathedral.
He said: ‘There was an alarm going in the building. The fire brigade and police arrived on the scene, and the police went to the back door of the building and took a gentleman away in the back of their van. There were about 100 people standing outside the cathedral a mixture of tourists and choristers in their blue gowns.
‘They seemed to be quite calm, with many still eating their cakes from the cathedral cafe – I think they thought it was just a false fire alarm. They were there for about an hour – it was around 6pm that they were allowed back inside the cathedral.’
One witness claimed the suspect appeared to have been apprehended by two men who carried out a citizens’ arrest.
She said: ‘We were walking past the cathedral as the alarms started, and everyone was starting to come out. As we got to the stonemason’s gateway we heard some shouting and could see a few people coming out of the gates, so we stopped.
‘It looked like some men playfighting but as they got through the gates I saw a hammer drop to the floor and one of the men kicked it into the road whilst another man held on to him.
‘They then held onto him with [his] hands behind his back whilst they picked up the hammer. Lots of people around started to come over. The men really did a good job.’
The document is protected under a separate layer of glass within its glass enclosure.
Last night the Dean of Salisbury, The Very Reverend Nicholas Papadopulos, said: ‘We will review what we do in terms of security, but we’re not rushing into anything.’
‘The initial layer of protective glass was damaged, but the second layer was not.
‘He did not get access to Magna Carta. The alarm was activated, and he was apprehended, so the security already in place did its job.’ A spokesman for the cathedral said: ‘At the end of the afternoon yesterday, a man attempted to break into the case which houses Magna Carta in the cathedral’s Chapter House.
‘We are very relieved that no one was hurt during the incident and that Magna Carta itself is undamaged. We are very grateful to all who dealt with the situation so swiftly and effectively.
‘We are very sorry that, for the time being, our copy of Magna Carta will not be available to visitors and we will have it back on display as soon as we can.’
A Wiltshire Police spokesman said: ‘Alarms were activated at Salisbury Cathedral after an attempt was made to smash the glass box surrounding Magna Carta. A man matching the description given by witnesses was arrested on suspicion of attempted theft, possession of an offensive weapon and criminal damage, and was taken to custody for questioning where he remains.’
‘The security in place did its job’