Experts hope coin case will be warning to others
Friday 26th February 2010, 6:00PM GMT.
A court case involving a Shropshire woman who found and failed to report treasure was the first of its kind in the country, experts said today.
And they said they hoped the “landmark” case in Ludlow this week will send out a clear message to others who do the same.
It comes after Kate Harding admitted failing to notify the coroner after discovering a rare piedfort – a silver coin dating from the 1300s – when she appeared in court on Wednesday.
Today Dr Michael Lewis, deputy head of the department of Portable Antiquities and Treasure at the British Museum, confirmed the case was the first known of its kind in the country to have resulted in prosecution.
Dr Lewis said today: “This is a landmark case and it sends a clear message to those who fail to report treasure.
“It shows that the police and the coroner’s service give treasure and archaeological heritage law a high profile and will take proactive measures against those that disregard it.”
Ludlow Magistrates Court heard how Harding, 23, of The Hawthorns, Ludlow, took the artefact to Ludlow Museum in January 2009 for identification and recording with the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
She originally said she had found the item in her garden.
Peter Reavill, finds liaison officer for Herefordshire and Shropshire examined the find.
Once it had been identified by experts at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the British Museum, he informed Harding that she had a legal obligation to report the find to the coroner.
Despite repeated att-empts to contact her by both the finds liaison officer and the coroner, Harding failed to report the discovery and the police were notified, the court was told.
Harding was ordered to hand over the piedfort.
She was given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay £25 of the £300 court costs.
The piedfort will now be the subject of an inquest to determine whether it is treasure.
The court was told that the coin was unearthed by Harding and her mother in a garden in Tenbury Wells and was of great sentimental value to the defendant.
Mr Brendan Reedy, for Harding, said she had been given the coin by her mother when she was just nine years old and her mother died soon afterwards.
By Sophie Bignall
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I really dont think that this young lady should have a criminal record for this!! After all if she hadnt of taken the coin to Ludlow Museum, no one would have been any the wiser, I dont think this justifies her having a criminal record!!
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Interesting story…
The Shropshire Star could have made it more interesting and educational,(rather than concentrating on the punitive side of things)For instance what is a piedfort? How much might this one be it be worth? and more on the rules about finding possible treasure etc.
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This poor woman did not steal it. And she did not obtain it by deception. She innocently found it 14 years ago. And for that she has been made to look like a common criminal.
It does send out a clear message to me. Anything I find I will keep to myself or sell privately.
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What a castrated mob the U.K. has become.
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So it’s alright for the ‘bankers’ {sorry spelling mistake there} can play fast and loose with OUR money, hand out OUR money to each other in criminal bonuses, drag OUR country down to the gutter while they live the high life in their foreign bijou bolt holes? Something is seriously seriously wrong with our society and our judiciary if this nonsense is allowed to stand.
Take this all the way to the high court and then the European courts girl. Hey! And I’m a Time Team fan!!
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Sorry again an easy target for prosecution and a waste of rax payers money. This was not an item lost by the general public recently but an item lost and age ago. All that needed was for the item to be confiscated by the police instead they chose to go through a silly show trial basically fine the woman £25 and give her a criminal record and put her probably out of work.Good old UK
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It’s not April fools day already is it?
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“Dr Lewis said today: “This is a landmark case and it sends a clear message to those who fail to report treasure.”"
Well, no. It sends a clear message NOT to report trivia that you happen to find in the garden. Best thing to do is throw them in the bin.
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What a pathetic show of the UK justice? system
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So another crime solved for the police to tick another box….that’s one less house break in to worry about…
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I am absolutly disgusted at the treatment of this woman.
this one small coin meant so much to her she even wanted to know more about it and went to see an expert to learn more about it.
now she has a criminal record and no coin.
i say that all the treasures that have been stolen from egypt greece and turkey that are kept in the museums in this country must now be returned to there rightful owners as it would be hypocritical to keep them now.
and i hope no one asks me to donate money to help keep the staffordshire hoard in this region because they will get short shrift from me!!!!
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…and meanwhile our theiving, lying MPs get off scot free.
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Meanwhile, if she had allowed a larger part of our heritage, say a Grade One listed building, to rot away to clear the site for development, she could have walked away with a fat profit and no penalties.
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I agree with all the posters. Shropshire Star could have ut together a more erudite article.
If anyone finds anything interesting they will keep it to themselves or sell it abroad.
Let’s have a poll to see if anyone supports the rough justice handed out to Kate.
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What a farce ,we have rotten to the core M.P.s making fraudulent claims for thousands .The prime minister himself had to pay back money I believe over half of the commons and many from the Lords were guilty ,only four prosecutions from these numbers .Corrupt bankers have ripped the public off for millions no prosecutions and yet a girl who finds a coin gets fined and a criminal record .I can only sayu we have a bunch of prats in charge and getting even more of them .Sending out a message ,I wish they would send out messages to the real criminals ,the people sitting in parliament and the Lords .The criminal protection Society should never have pursued this case .Easy Pickings another conviction to put up for display .Heaven help save us from JOBSWORTHS .Always the vulnerable who get punished no doubt had she been an illegal immigrant the case would not have pursued,she would have had legal aid and no doubt a discharge .To put up with this any longer we must need our heads examined .
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Hopefully if the later headlines in the star are correct this girl may have good grounds for appeal where a common sense approach may be used .Mind you beware of flying pigs ,in these sort of cases the law is definitely an ass .
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If I read this right, the finder was her deceased mother, and it was given to her as a 9yr old ( which is below the age of criminal responsibility), I wonder why she was not offered a warning or caution by the police, it seems it was hardly worth the effort, unless of course someone fancied getting their name in lights as bringing the first prosecution of its kind in the country, might look good on your CV but tends to show a lack of perspective.
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