Homeless man ‘slashed £24m Gainsborough after absconding from psychiatric hospital’

A HOMELESS man damaged a £24m painting by one of Britain’s most celebrated artists after absconding from a psychiatric hospital, a court has heard.

Keith Gregory, 63, left two deep slash marks in an X shape on

by Thomas Gainsborough when he attacked it with a drill bit in front of art lovers browsing a collection of old masters on the afternoon of March 18 this year.

Gregory, of Kettering in Northamptonshire, caused £10,000 of damage to the painting before he was dragged away by security guards.

As he was led away in the east wing of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, he shouted that he had just been released from prison and was going to trigger a bomb.

When he was told the cost of the damage to the 232-year-old painting could run into millions of pounds, Gregory said: “I’ve got it all in my bank account. My father is Jimmy Gregory, the owner of QPR (football club).”

He told the arresting officers: “Everyone was taking pictures of me when they saw what painting I was doing it to.”

He later said: “I don’t care if you kill me. I don’t care what you do to me in the cells.”

He later boasted: “I bet you don’t have something like this every day. I bet you’ve never arrested someone for this before.”

Gregory denies a charge of criminal damage, claiming he was not guilty by reason of insanity.

Southwark Crown Court heard that Gregory had been admitted to a psychiatric hospital on October 22 last year but had absconded on November 11 and had been sleeping rough for several months. Prosecutor Nicholas Dunham told the jury: “Since the incident Mr Gregory has also been under psychiatric care and has been diagnosed with a mental illness, most probably paranoid schizophrenia.”

The court heard that Gregory has been described as “guarded and paranoid” by doctors who said he believes he is under constant surveillance and fears someone will kill him and make it look like suicide.

Mr Dunham said: “He said while standing in the National Gallery he heard a voice telling him ‘put a mark on the painting and your family will find you’.”

The trial is expected to conclude today.