A pair of British brothers received prison sentences and a five-year ban from Switzerland on Tuesday after admitting to a museum heist in Geneva that resulted in the theft of valuable 14th-century Chinese Ming Dynasty artefacts.

Stewart and Louis Ahearne, residents of Greenwich in south London, confessed in a Geneva court to being part of a trio that burgled the Museum of Far Eastern Art in June 2019, making off with two vases and a cup. The judge convicted the brothers of aggravated theft and sentenced each to three and a half years of prison in Switzerland.

The court also mandated the brothers to compensate the Baur Foundation, which manages the Museum of Far Eastern Art, with 15,000 Swiss francs (£13,770) in damages.

The Museum of Far Eastern Art suffered approximately 3.5 million Swiss francs (£3.2 million) in damages caused by a power saw, sledgehammer, and crowbar. The perpetrators, masked and gloved, broke into the museum by smashing a pane on the front door. They shattered a display case and left with items valued at £2,870,000.

In court, Prosecutor Marco Rossier asserted that the Ahearne brothers were both equally engaged in the burglary. Louis took responsibility for booking the hotel room, obtaining ski masks, and clothing for the burglary, and conducting reconnaissance of the museum. Meanwhile, his older brother rented a Renault Captur car in his name at Geneva Airport, using it to travel to and from the location of the crime.

“The Ahearne brothers meticulously planned this burglary, carrying out careful reconnaissance to ensure they could make a clean getaway and bring the items back to the U.K.,” said Detective Chief Inspector Matt Webb, who led the investigation.

“They naively believed that having fled the country they had escaped punishment, but they did not bank on the fact we would work so closely with our Swiss counterparts to identify those involved.”

Cross-border collaboration

Det. Chief Webb said the Met Police would leverage all available powers to identify and apprehend individuals engaged in committing such offences. In tackling cross-border crimes, the Met Police would establish a joint investigative team. This time, it was between British and Swiss law enforcement.

DNA found at the scene matched Stewart on the international database. The investigators also identified the registration plates on a car departing from the scene and found that it had been rented several days before the burglary. 

Inquiries with the car rental company showedthat Stewart had picked it up at the airport and then used it to transport the stolen items back to the U.K.

One stolen bowl was found to be taken to a Hong Kong auction house. Meanwhile, the Met orchestrated an undercover operation, posing as art buyers and organising a meeting with the gang at a central London hotel to retrieve the stolen vase. Stewart and his co-conspirator Mbaki Nkhwa gave the vase to the undercover officers in return for £450,000 and were immediately arrested.

The third artefact, a wine cup, remains missing. A reward of up to £10,000 is available for information leading to the retrieval of the “doucai style” cup. Those with information are urged to contact the police at 101, referencing Operation Funsea.

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