An arrest warrant has been issued for George Whittaker, a metal detectorist convicted of the theft of one of the most valuable Viking hoards in history.
The warrant comes three months after West Mercia Police first raised the alarm over Whittaker's breach of parole.
Historical theft
George Whittaker, also known as George Powell, was convicted of theft and concealment in 2019 and sentenced to six and a half years in prison.
Together with his accomplice Layton Davies, Whittaker's crime was failing to report and attempting to sell off a large collection of Viking Age coins and artifacts that the pair had discovered near the village of Eye in Herefordshire, England.
Whittaker and Layton Davies were legally bound to inform the Portable Antiquities Scheme of the find, which has since been valued at upwards of GBP 3 million.
Under the details of the scheme, the pair would have been entitled to 50% of its value in compensation. Instead, they attempted to sell off the artifacts through the black market but were subsequently apprehended and prosecuted.
After Whittaker was released last year, however, West Mercia Police announced that he had broken the conditions of his parole.
Now, after failing to show up for a court date, Whittaker has been issued an arrest warrant, which takes effect immediately.
George Whittaker, convicted of stealing a Viking hoard, faces a return to prison after failing to repay GBP 600,000 and missing a court appointment. Photo: Gwent Police
Impending return to prison
In a social media post made last year and attributed to Whittaker, he apparently claimed that he was an innocent man: "I was convicted in 2019 for finding treasure in a field that I had permission to be on."
"Assumptions found me guilty, and I received six and a half years in jail. I'm not running from anything, and apparently, I'm being recalled back to prison for missing an appointment... I've paid for what I had not done, and a large sentence at that."
Whittaker was due at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on January 8 to be sentenced for failing to repay GBP 600,000 – his assumed share of the missing coins and jewelry.
His accomplice, Layton Davies, is already serving an additional five years and three months in prison for his failure to repay the money.
In a 2022 court hearing at Worcester Crown Court, Judge Nicholas Cartwright had told the men he believed they were continuing to conceal around 270 coins from the hoard.
Unfortunately, however, it appears the authorities have no information about the location of either the coins or Whittaker himself, who may have escaped abroad.
Along with coins, the recovered items include a gold ring, a silver ingot, a bracelet, and a gold and rock-crystal pendant. Source: British Museum / Herefordshire Council
Better news for the hoard
Although many of the coins and artifacts are still missing, Herefordshire Council has been successful in tracking down and obtaining a number of interesting pieces from the hoard, including several historic coins and some stunning Viking Age jewelry.
Last year, the Herefordshire Hoard was made available for public viewing in a special display at the popular Jorvik Viking Centre in York.
Today, work is proceeding on a GBP 22 million refurbishment project for the Hereford Museum and Art Gallery. The plans for the new building include a custom-built space to house the collection in a permanent exhibition.
In the meantime, Layton Davies languishes in jail for his failure to disclose this valuable treasure, as do Craig Best and Roger Pilling, who were sentenced to five years and two months in prison for trying to sell more than 40 coins from the same collection. As for Whittaker, his whereabouts remain unknown.
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