Two dealers who handled stolen guitars face music

Richard and Justin Harrison run Music Ground which had shops in Leeds, London and Manchester at the time of the offences, involving guitars which were part of a haul stolen in Verona, Italy in 2006.

Richard Harrison, 65, of The Old Rectory, High Street, Campsall, Doncaster who admitted handling 10 stolen vintage guitars was given 12 months in prison suspended for 18 months and 200 hours unpaid work.

His son Justin, 42 of Wentedge House, Wentedge Road, Pontefract, admitted two charges involving handling two Gibson guitars, and was given six months in prison suspended for 18 months and ordered to pay £2,500 costs.

Judge Christopher Batty, sentencing, told them yesterday: “It is a sad day for both of you because you had a very good reputation.”

He said in their close knit trading world they had known the victim of the burglary in Italy, the devastating effect on him when 157 valuable guitars were stolen, and when some of those guitars came their way, they had not returned them “and that’s disgusting”.