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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by cityguerilla on Jun 8, 2010 14:50:10 GMT 1, Art forgers Grant Champkins-Howard, 44, of Birdhurst Rise, South Croydon, and Lee Parker, 45, of Caroline Way, Eastbourne, face jail sentences after confessing to selling fake prints by guerilla artist Banksy on eBay at Kingston Crown Court last Friday (June 4). The pair informed potential buyers that the signed limited edition Banksy's prints they were selling had been authenticated by Pictures On Walls the Banksy specialists.
Charges in the separate case against the pair regards the manufacture and distribution of fake 1970s SEX and Seditionaries punk designs by the late Malcolm McLaren and Dame Vivienne Westwood remain on file until a later date.
Grant Champkins-Howard is better known to some people on the dance music and club scene under his DJ name Grant Dell and was part of the production duo "Tribalation"
The pair will be returning to Kingston Crown Court for sentencing on July 1, 2010.
Art forgers Grant Champkins-Howard, 44, of Birdhurst Rise, South Croydon, and Lee Parker, 45, of Caroline Way, Eastbourne, face jail sentences after confessing to selling fake prints by guerilla artist Banksy on eBay at Kingston Crown Court last Friday (June 4). The pair informed potential buyers that the signed limited edition Banksy's prints they were selling had been authenticated by Pictures On Walls the Banksy specialists.
Charges in the separate case against the pair regards the manufacture and distribution of fake 1970s SEX and Seditionaries punk designs by the late Malcolm McLaren and Dame Vivienne Westwood remain on file until a later date.
Grant Champkins-Howard is better known to some people on the dance music and club scene under his DJ name Grant Dell and was part of the production duo "Tribalation"
The pair will be returning to Kingston Crown Court for sentencing on July 1, 2010.
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by OutsideIn on Jun 8, 2010 16:48:14 GMT 1, "had been authenticated by Pictures On Walls the Banksy specialists"
"had been authenticated by Pictures On Walls the Banksy specialists" |
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by bullet on Jun 8, 2010 17:37:56 GMT 1, i guess its not right to talk about this yet, maybe we wait until the sentencing... then let rip. i think a lot of people want to talk about it
i guess its not right to talk about this yet, maybe we wait until the sentencing... then let rip. i think a lot of people want to talk about it
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by OutsideIn on Jun 8, 2010 17:40:24 GMT 1, sorry i read that wrong...
it says "THEY informed"
sorry i read that wrong...
it says "THEY informed"
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by cityguerilla on Jun 8, 2010 19:46:59 GMT 1, It is now perfectly acceptable and legal to talk about this matter due to Grant Champkins-Howard and Lee Parker (after two years of investigation, and wasting the Metropolitan Police Art & Antiquities Fraud Squad's time by claiming they were innocent) finally, last Friday, 4 days into the trial, both admitting they ARE guilty. The evidence was overwhelming - and over 70 people had given police statements and were requested to not leave the United Kingdom so they could be on standby to give evidence at Kingston Crown Court.
The story has already been reported by the BBC South East News, and there will be further stories appearing in the press over the coming weeks. Plus photos of the pair of them are doing the rounds.
What would not be helpful is to discuss what the outcome of all of this will be. But as you are aware, the pair will appear at Kingston Crown Court for sentencing on July 1st, 2010.
It is now perfectly acceptable and legal to talk about this matter due to Grant Champkins-Howard and Lee Parker (after two years of investigation, and wasting the Metropolitan Police Art & Antiquities Fraud Squad's time by claiming they were innocent) finally, last Friday, 4 days into the trial, both admitting they ARE guilty. The evidence was overwhelming - and over 70 people had given police statements and were requested to not leave the United Kingdom so they could be on standby to give evidence at Kingston Crown Court.
The story has already been reported by the BBC South East News, and there will be further stories appearing in the press over the coming weeks. Plus photos of the pair of them are doing the rounds.
What would not be helpful is to discuss what the outcome of all of this will be. But as you are aware, the pair will appear at Kingston Crown Court for sentencing on July 1st, 2010.
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by bullet on Jun 8, 2010 21:17:20 GMT 1, i know mate, half the forum were involved in it. but maybe people dont want to talk about it.
i know mate, half the forum were involved in it. but maybe people dont want to talk about it.
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by spenie1975 on Jun 8, 2010 21:29:20 GMT 1, i guess its not right to talk about this yet, maybe we wait until the sentencing... then let rip. i think a lot of people want to talk about it
i know mate, half the forum were involved in it. but maybe people dont want to talk about it.
Which one is it? they want to or they don't?
i guess its not right to talk about this yet, maybe we wait until the sentencing... then let rip. i think a lot of people want to talk about it i know mate, half the forum were involved in it. but maybe people dont want to talk about it. Which one is it? they want to or they don't? |
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by simonlovesgerald on Jun 9, 2010 17:39:35 GMT 1, Whoever you are, you have been misinformed and by looking at the dates of your posts , you are breaking the blanket ban that was put on anyone talking about this case in the public domain by judge Matthews. Your post and others were handed to the judge herself and an investigation is under way. Here are a few true events that happened in this so called case. At the pre trial which was at southwark crown court on the 17th of may. Judge Rivlin QC said that the cps's case was a mess and they didn't have the two main witnesses, i.e. Banksy and Vivienne Westwood. Because those witnesses are not interested and the defendants are not denying they sold these prints, where is this going. Judge Rivlin said that this case is not happening at Southwark crown court, His words were "this is a serious fraud court and this is not a serious fraud case “ The trial was moved to Kingston crown court. There were two weeks of pre trial and legal arguments and the trial never happened. In those two weeks is was proven there is no copyright on Banksy's work and there was no formal agreement between the artist and his agent and POW. Therefore no case regarding selling fake Banksy prints. Then the charge was changed to selling fake POW prints, which in hind sight was never the case. So would it have been a fair trial? i don't think so! A deal was reached with both counsels and a plea was entered. Now this was the first time a guilty plea was agreed because two years ago, when all this started they were being accused of selling £1.2 million pounds worth of fake stuff, and there was other items still being held and others still involved, so yes - Not guilty -because it was NOT the correct charge. It went from £1.2 million down to £30.000. So as you can see what was it all really about? For your information it was 12 prints and none signed and none sold in auction houses. And despite your earlier accusation that banksy screens were found in their flat – they never found any screens because they never existed and they never printed any banksys.
So -regarding your title of art forgers - all they were, were two collectors that bought prints on the second hand market and from galleries around London that the police claim are fake...looks like they are the one's that were conned! oh yeah and what started this case? the unknown art forger that sold a fake Banksy canvas for £500.000 at Bonhams..and they cant find him or her - like Banksy..who ever they are!
Whoever you are, you have been misinformed and by looking at the dates of your posts , you are breaking the blanket ban that was put on anyone talking about this case in the public domain by judge Matthews. Your post and others were handed to the judge herself and an investigation is under way. Here are a few true events that happened in this so called case. At the pre trial which was at southwark crown court on the 17th of may. Judge Rivlin QC said that the cps's case was a mess and they didn't have the two main witnesses, i.e. Banksy and Vivienne Westwood. Because those witnesses are not interested and the defendants are not denying they sold these prints, where is this going. Judge Rivlin said that this case is not happening at Southwark crown court, His words were "this is a serious fraud court and this is not a serious fraud case “ The trial was moved to Kingston crown court. There were two weeks of pre trial and legal arguments and the trial never happened. In those two weeks is was proven there is no copyright on Banksy's work and there was no formal agreement between the artist and his agent and POW. Therefore no case regarding selling fake Banksy prints. Then the charge was changed to selling fake POW prints, which in hind sight was never the case. So would it have been a fair trial? i don't think so! A deal was reached with both counsels and a plea was entered. Now this was the first time a guilty plea was agreed because two years ago, when all this started they were being accused of selling £1.2 million pounds worth of fake stuff, and there was other items still being held and others still involved, so yes - Not guilty -because it was NOT the correct charge. It went from £1.2 million down to £30.000. So as you can see what was it all really about? For your information it was 12 prints and none signed and none sold in auction houses. And despite your earlier accusation that banksy screens were found in their flat – they never found any screens because they never existed and they never printed any banksys.
So -regarding your title of art forgers - all they were, were two collectors that bought prints on the second hand market and from galleries around London that the police claim are fake...looks like they are the one's that were conned! oh yeah and what started this case? the unknown art forger that sold a fake Banksy canvas for £500.000 at Bonhams..and they cant find him or her - like Banksy..who ever they are!
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Warm Gun
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by Warm Gun on Jun 9, 2010 19:15:11 GMT 1, Oh well then, my heart bleeds for these innocent 'con men' who were duped into buying 12 fake banksy's covering various prints. I'm sure their loses were huge and that they were definitely not going to sell those prints on as originals. I guess they done POW, Banksy and all of us collectors a huge favour by storing those prints in their flat and thus keeping us from being ripped of by someone else. Bless their little cotton socks, they were doing it all for us, they done nothin' wrong guv. All 70 of those victims made it up. Honest
Oh well then, my heart bleeds for these innocent 'con men' who were duped into buying 12 fake banksy's covering various prints. I'm sure their loses were huge and that they were definitely not going to sell those prints on as originals. I guess they done POW, Banksy and all of us collectors a huge favour by storing those prints in their flat and thus keeping us from being ripped of by someone else. Bless their little cotton socks, they were doing it all for us, they done nothin' wrong guv. All 70 of those victims made it up. Honest
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by achtungbono on Jun 9, 2010 21:50:38 GMT 1, I smell a large fetid rat on this thread
I smell a large fetid rat on this thread
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by cityguerilla on Jun 9, 2010 22:23:17 GMT 1, I think it fairly bloody obvious who simonlovesgerald is. Only someone who's been sat in the courtroom could come out with THAT much information and give themselves away. If you're telling us there's a blanket ban regards speaking about the case now that LeeLovesGrant have pleaded guilty, then why go and reveal so much more detail about the case than the public actually knew?
Here's an idea: as you're passing on all posts to Judge Mathews, how's about we pass yours on to the Art & Antiquities Fraud Squad so they know you're speaking about the case too? I'm sure they've got used to your ficticious bullshit over the past 2 years. Let them inform us what's fact and fiction in your previous post! Or should we just wait for the Police Press Bureau to inform the media on July 1st?
I think it fairly bloody obvious who simonlovesgerald is. Only someone who's been sat in the courtroom could come out with THAT much information and give themselves away. If you're telling us there's a blanket ban regards speaking about the case now that LeeLovesGrant have pleaded guilty, then why go and reveal so much more detail about the case than the public actually knew?
Here's an idea: as you're passing on all posts to Judge Mathews, how's about we pass yours on to the Art & Antiquities Fraud Squad so they know you're speaking about the case too? I'm sure they've got used to your ficticious bullshit over the past 2 years. Let them inform us what's fact and fiction in your previous post! Or should we just wait for the Police Press Bureau to inform the media on July 1st?
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by Daniel Silk on Jun 10, 2010 10:43:01 GMT 1, I have cleaned this thread up a bit 
Can I ask that if Freerange wants to keep talking about "cocks"  that he does it elsewhere please. Thank you!
I have cleaned this thread up a bit Can I ask that if Freerange wants to keep talking about "cocks" that he does it elsewhere please. Thank you! |
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by Daniel Silk on Jun 10, 2010 13:30:11 GMT 1, www.croydonguardian.co.uk/news/8208951.Banksy_fraudsters_facing_jail_following_plea_change/
"Croydon Banksy fraudster facing jail following plea change"
"A pair of art forgers are facing jail after admitting flogging fake Banksy artworks to unsuspecting fans via eBay. Grant Champkins-Howard, 44, from South Croydon and his childhood friend Lee Parker changed their pleas to guilty over one count of conspiracy to defraud at Kingston Crown Court on June 4. Parker, 45, from Eastbourne, and Champkins-Howard will be sentenced on July 1."
www.croydonguardian.co.uk/news/8208951.Banksy_fraudsters_facing_jail_following_plea_change/"Croydon Banksy fraudster facing jail following plea change" "A pair of art forgers are facing jail after admitting flogging fake Banksy artworks to unsuspecting fans via eBay. Grant Champkins-Howard, 44, from South Croydon and his childhood friend Lee Parker changed their pleas to guilty over one count of conspiracy to defraud at Kingston Crown Court on June 4. Parker, 45, from Eastbourne, and Champkins-Howard will be sentenced on July 1."
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by cityguerilla on Jul 1, 2010 15:09:09 GMT 1,
Conmen avoid jail for selling fake Banksy prints
By Robert Dex, Press Association
Thursday, 1 July 2010
A pair of "old-fashioned conmen" who pleaded guilty to selling fake prints they claimed were the work of graffiti artist Banksy avoided a jail sentence today.
Lee Parker, 45, and Grant Champkins-Howard, 44, sold copies of genuine numbered prints on the internet shopping site eBay, Kingston Crown Court in south west London heard.
Passing suspended sentences of 12 months for both men, Judge Suzan Matthews said: "Neither of you should be under any illusion that I regard both of you as nothing more than a pair of old-fashioned conmen.
"You saw a way, and exploited a way, of making a quick and easy profit."
The court heard the pair, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud, were fans of the anonymous Bristol-based graffiti artist and had collected posters and prints of his work for years.
Prosecutor Richard Mandel said they decided to cash in as his work became more valuable and made more than £50,000 by passing off their copies as being from official limited-edition numbered print runs made early on in the artist's career.
The original prints, which were initially sold by a company set up by the artist's agent, are now sought-after collector's items.
Mr Mandel said they forged ownership documents and added official numbers and stamps to some of the prints, which then sold for up to £2,000.
The court heard they tried to cover their tracks by refunding some customers when they complained.
Mr Mandel said they used eBay to ensure a "global marketplace" for their fraud which undermined people's faith in the wider art market.
Mr Mandel said: "It stands to reason that persistent fraud on eBay undermines the integrity of that now very important marketplace."
The pair were arrested in April 2008 after suspicions about some of the prints being sold were raised on an internet forum.
Philippa McAtasney QC, defending Parker, said he had offered to re-mortgage his home to pay back people to whom he sold prints.
She said the self-employed plumber from Eastbourne was "an ordinary, hard-working man".
Nigel Peters QC, defending Champkins-Howard, said his client, a roofer from south Croydon, had already spent 93 days in Wandsworth prison after breaching bail conditions.
Judge Matthews said some of the pair's victims were experts on the works of Banksy while others were more naive.
She said: "Regardless of their knowledge, they were all conned. All were tricked."
She ordered the men to complete 240 hours of unpaid work in the next 12 months and told them they face restraining orders preventing them from selling on the internet.
Costs will be decided at a later hearing.
Two charges of possession of items that could be used in fraud and another charge of conspiracy to defraud were ordered to lie on file.
Speaking outside court, a Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said the force recovered 120 prints during the investigation which, if sold as genuine, could fetch more than £200,000.
Detective Constable Ian Lawson, of the Metropolitan Police's art and antiques unit, said it was a "lucrative and unscrupulous scam".
An eBay spokesman said: "We are delighted to hear of today's sentences, having worked closely with the Metropolitan Police since September 2008 to bring this case to court.
"Our long-standing commitment to this case highlights our intolerance for those fraudsters who attempt to sell fake items on our site. We will continue to build on our work with law enforcement agencies to make sure that justice is served if anyone decides to try their luck."
Conmen avoid jail for selling fake Banksy prints
By Robert Dex, Press Association
Thursday, 1 July 2010
A pair of "old-fashioned conmen" who pleaded guilty to selling fake prints they claimed were the work of graffiti artist Banksy avoided a jail sentence today.
Lee Parker, 45, and Grant Champkins-Howard, 44, sold copies of genuine numbered prints on the internet shopping site eBay, Kingston Crown Court in south west London heard.
Passing suspended sentences of 12 months for both men, Judge Suzan Matthews said: "Neither of you should be under any illusion that I regard both of you as nothing more than a pair of old-fashioned conmen.
"You saw a way, and exploited a way, of making a quick and easy profit."
The court heard the pair, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud, were fans of the anonymous Bristol-based graffiti artist and had collected posters and prints of his work for years.
Prosecutor Richard Mandel said they decided to cash in as his work became more valuable and made more than £50,000 by passing off their copies as being from official limited-edition numbered print runs made early on in the artist's career.
The original prints, which were initially sold by a company set up by the artist's agent, are now sought-after collector's items.
Mr Mandel said they forged ownership documents and added official numbers and stamps to some of the prints, which then sold for up to £2,000.
The court heard they tried to cover their tracks by refunding some customers when they complained.
Mr Mandel said they used eBay to ensure a "global marketplace" for their fraud which undermined people's faith in the wider art market.
Mr Mandel said: "It stands to reason that persistent fraud on eBay undermines the integrity of that now very important marketplace."
The pair were arrested in April 2008 after suspicions about some of the prints being sold were raised on an internet forum.
Philippa McAtasney QC, defending Parker, said he had offered to re-mortgage his home to pay back people to whom he sold prints.
She said the self-employed plumber from Eastbourne was "an ordinary, hard-working man".
Nigel Peters QC, defending Champkins-Howard, said his client, a roofer from south Croydon, had already spent 93 days in Wandsworth prison after breaching bail conditions.
Judge Matthews said some of the pair's victims were experts on the works of Banksy while others were more naive.
She said: "Regardless of their knowledge, they were all conned. All were tricked."
She ordered the men to complete 240 hours of unpaid work in the next 12 months and told them they face restraining orders preventing them from selling on the internet.
Costs will be decided at a later hearing.
Two charges of possession of items that could be used in fraud and another charge of conspiracy to defraud were ordered to lie on file.
Speaking outside court, a Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said the force recovered 120 prints during the investigation which, if sold as genuine, could fetch more than £200,000.
Detective Constable Ian Lawson, of the Metropolitan Police's art and antiques unit, said it was a "lucrative and unscrupulous scam".
An eBay spokesman said: "We are delighted to hear of today's sentences, having worked closely with the Metropolitan Police since September 2008 to bring this case to court.
"Our long-standing commitment to this case highlights our intolerance for those fraudsters who attempt to sell fake items on our site. We will continue to build on our work with law enforcement agencies to make sure that justice is served if anyone decides to try their luck."
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pokodogo
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by pokodogo on Jul 1, 2010 16:07:25 GMT 1, 240 hours unpaid work .............
.............. looks lenient to me, and possibly opens the door for others to do the same. If these two had the book thrown at them it may well deter anybody trying similar in the future. But there will always be rogues out there I suppose.
240 hours unpaid work .............
.............. looks lenient to me, and possibly opens the door for others to do the same. If these two had the book thrown at them it may well deter anybody trying similar in the future. But there will always be rogues out there I suppose.
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by bullet on Jul 1, 2010 16:32:48 GMT 1, ebay dont care, otherwise they would remove 8,999 of the 9,200 items under the search term 'banksy'
ebay dont care, otherwise they would remove 8,999 of the 9,200 items under the search term 'banksy'
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Scraffer
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by Scraffer on Jul 1, 2010 18:25:06 GMT 1, Would POW be ablr to do much if you replicased their screenprints, but didn't stamp sign or number them, and maybe even wrote "fake" on the back, and sold them as fakes on ebay...?
Would POW be ablr to do much if you replicased their screenprints, but didn't stamp sign or number them, and maybe even wrote "fake" on the back, and sold them as fakes on ebay...?
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Fragile
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by Fragile on Jul 1, 2010 19:20:05 GMT 1, 
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chrisps303
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by chrisps303 on Jul 1, 2010 19:22:40 GMT 1,
lol.
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Scraffer
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by Scraffer on Jul 1, 2010 19:33:05 GMT 1, Would POW be ablr to do much if you replicased their screenprints, but didn't stamp sign or number them, and maybe even wrote "fake" on the back, and sold them as fakes on ebay...?
Would POW be ablr to do much if you replicased their screenprints, but didn't stamp sign or number them, and maybe even wrote "fake" on the back, and sold them as fakes on ebay...?
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by shaunyboy on Jul 1, 2010 19:35:35 GMT 1, www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/jul/01/banksy-fraudsters-suspended-sentences
Two men who pleaded guilty to selling fake prints by the graffiti artist Banksy were condemned as "old-fashioned conmen" by a judge today, although they escaped jail with suspended sentences.
Grant Champkins-Howard, 44, and Lee Parker, 45, fooled customers on the internet auction site eBay into believing they were buying originals by the secretive artist.
They claimed the copies were produced by Pictures on Walls, a company which has exclusive rights to produce authentic Banksy prints. The pair made tens of thousands of pounds from the scam and shattered confidence in the market for Banksy's work, the court heard.
Passing suspended sentences of 12 months for both men, Judge Suzan Matthews said: "Neither of you should be under any illusion that I regard both of you as nothing more than a pair of old-fashioned conmen. You saw a way, and exploited a way, of making a quick and easy profit."
They were both ordered to perform 240 hours community service.
The court heard that Pictures on Walls produces tag-stamped and limited edition screen prints of Bansky's signature stencilled images. Champkins-Howard and Parker persuaded both collectors and novice buyers to part with up to £2,000 each for fake prints.
They claimed to have already built their own collection of Banksy posters, only deciding to cash in when the value of originals soared.
Police seized 120 prints, including some that were genuine, during a raid on Champkins-Howard's home after a two-month investigation last year.
Richard Mandel, prosecuting, said Champkins-Howard persuaded one buyer to pay £1,300 for a fake print called Turf War which depicts Winston Churchill with a mohican. When another potential customer became suspicious after being offered £2,000 for a specific print, Champkins-Howard managed to find him the real thing.
"The defendants did have clever management in place," Mendel said.
The pair admitted the five-month scam, between January 1 and June 19 last year.
The judge said: "Regardless of their state of knowledge, they [purchasers] were talked into parting with substantial sums of money, believing they were acquiring something of value - they were buying fakes."
An eBay spokesman said the firm was delighted with the verdict after working with Metropolitan police on the investigation.
"Our long-standing commitment to this case highlights our intolerance for those fraudsters who attempt to sell fake items on our site," he said.
www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/jul/01/banksy-fraudsters-suspended-sentencesTwo men who pleaded guilty to selling fake prints by the graffiti artist Banksy were condemned as "old-fashioned conmen" by a judge today, although they escaped jail with suspended sentences. Grant Champkins-Howard, 44, and Lee Parker, 45, fooled customers on the internet auction site eBay into believing they were buying originals by the secretive artist. They claimed the copies were produced by Pictures on Walls, a company which has exclusive rights to produce authentic Banksy prints. The pair made tens of thousands of pounds from the scam and shattered confidence in the market for Banksy's work, the court heard. Passing suspended sentences of 12 months for both men, Judge Suzan Matthews said: "Neither of you should be under any illusion that I regard both of you as nothing more than a pair of old-fashioned conmen. You saw a way, and exploited a way, of making a quick and easy profit." They were both ordered to perform 240 hours community service. The court heard that Pictures on Walls produces tag-stamped and limited edition screen prints of Bansky's signature stencilled images. Champkins-Howard and Parker persuaded both collectors and novice buyers to part with up to £2,000 each for fake prints. They claimed to have already built their own collection of Banksy posters, only deciding to cash in when the value of originals soared. Police seized 120 prints, including some that were genuine, during a raid on Champkins-Howard's home after a two-month investigation last year. Richard Mandel, prosecuting, said Champkins-Howard persuaded one buyer to pay £1,300 for a fake print called Turf War which depicts Winston Churchill with a mohican. When another potential customer became suspicious after being offered £2,000 for a specific print, Champkins-Howard managed to find him the real thing. "The defendants did have clever management in place," Mendel said. The pair admitted the five-month scam, between January 1 and June 19 last year. The judge said: "Regardless of their state of knowledge, they [purchasers] were talked into parting with substantial sums of money, believing they were acquiring something of value - they were buying fakes." An eBay spokesman said the firm was delighted with the verdict after working with Metropolitan police on the investigation. "Our long-standing commitment to this case highlights our intolerance for those fraudsters who attempt to sell fake items on our site," he said.
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by curiousgeorge on Jul 1, 2010 20:17:20 GMT 1, 240 hours! Total farce, maybe 500k? 1 million? on the investigation.Something fishy going on! Strange seeing pics of them and putting faces to usernames etc
Would be piss funny if Banksy hits the streets a la "Parker is a grass"
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Scraffer
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by Scraffer on Jul 1, 2010 20:26:44 GMT 1, On the video about this on the beeb website, fast forward to 0:41 seconds... Is this the POW storeroom?
On the video about this on the beeb website, fast forward to 0:41 seconds... Is this the POW storeroom?
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Fragile
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by Fragile on Jul 1, 2010 20:34:50 GMT 1, On the video about this on the beeb website, fast forward to 0:41 seconds... Is this the POW storeroom?
Nah, evidence room
On the video about this on the beeb website, fast forward to 0:41 seconds... Is this the POW storeroom? Nah, evidence room |
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by naughtyshorty on Jul 1, 2010 23:19:10 GMT 1, and this, quite simply, is why i would never ever buy a print off of ebay...
and this, quite simply, is why i would never ever buy a print off of ebay...
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Scraffer
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by Scraffer on Jul 1, 2010 23:27:28 GMT 1, Did these guys make the screens themselves or get hold of the originals. I swear it would be pretty hard to fake screens unless you had all of the original layers of the image seperated out...?
Did these guys make the screens themselves or get hold of the originals. I swear it would be pretty hard to fake screens unless you had all of the original layers of the image seperated out...?
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bullet
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January 2013
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by bullet on Jul 1, 2010 23:27:49 GMT 1, the person i felt most sorry for was Dora at POW. Her name was banded around on every piece of 'coa' paper.
the person i felt most sorry for was Dora at POW. Her name was banded around on every piece of 'coa' paper.
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Grant Howard & Lee Parker Plea Guilty fake Banksy, by ellojoe on Jul 2, 2010 9:11:20 GMT 1, Did these guys make the screens themselves or get hold of the originals. I swear it would be pretty hard to fake screens unless you had all of the original layers of the image seperated out...?
All prints involved in this case were purchased from Tom Tom - Santa's Ghetto - Art Republic - and ex members of staff of POW. 120 prints were recovered from various places over a two year investigation, not just from the two mentioned. Also there was no screens found anywhere. What should be mentioned is the BIG money prints that were sold at Bonhams by the unknown fraudster that the police couldn't find. Personally i think this was a bit of a farce!
Did these guys make the screens themselves or get hold of the originals. I swear it would be pretty hard to fake screens unless you had all of the original layers of the image seperated out...? All prints involved in this case were purchased from Tom Tom - Santa's Ghetto - Art Republic - and ex members of staff of POW. 120 prints were recovered from various places over a two year investigation, not just from the two mentioned. Also there was no screens found anywhere. What should be mentioned is the BIG money prints that were sold at Bonhams by the unknown fraudster that the police couldn't find. Personally i think this was a bit of a farce! |
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that he does it elsewhere please. Thank you! 
