How my dad rescued a stolen £40m da Vinci masterpiece

The Madonna of the Yarnwinder by Leonardo da Vinci was the astir invaluable coating ever stolen successful Britain. Twenty years connected Olivia Graham tells the wrong communicative of however her dad's relation successful getting the coating backmost led to him lasting proceedings for extortion.

I was 18 erstwhile my dada took maine to 1 broadside successful the Liverpool pub helium owned.

He told maine thing astonishing was going to hap - thing unbelievable - that 1 time I could archer the grandkids about.

At the clip I was excessively stunned to inquire him thing astir it.

But present I person made a podcast for BBC Sounds, wherever I inquire plentifulness of questions astir what truly happened erstwhile my dada rescued a stolen 16th Century masterpiece.

The communicative begins connected the greeting of 27 August 2003, erstwhile an aged VW Golf GTI drove done the Dumfriesshire countryside and pulled up extracurricular Drumlanrig Castle, the location of the Duke of Buccleuch - 1 of the richest men successful the country.

Two men got retired of their car and made their mode into the castle wherever they took circuit usher Alison Russell by surprise.

One of them enactment his manus implicit her rima and told her to "get down connected the floor". Then they prised the Leonardo masterpiece disconnected the partition with an axe and ran to their getaway car.

The full cognition took conscionable a fewer minutes.

The time aft the heist a property league was held. The Madonna of the Yarnwinder was a 500-year-old coating by 1 of the astir celebrated artists successful the satellite and was thought to beryllium worthy £40m. It was large quality astir the world.

Mark Dalrymple, the good creation nonaccomplishment adjuster representing the painting's insurers, announced a "substantial" reward for accusation starring to its return.

An extended constabulary cognition kicked into cogwheel but the criminals slipped the net.

Four years later, the coating had fallen disconnected the radar.

By this clip it was successful the possession of a radical successful Liverpool who had acquired it arsenic collateral successful a failed spot deal. They wanted to recoup the wealth they had mislaid - £700,000. But how?

That's wherever my dada comes in.

Robbie Graham was a antheral of galore parts.

He wasn't assemblage oregon assemblage educated and I don't deliberation helium near schoolhouse with immoderate qualifications but this didn't halt him from thriving successful galore antithetic lines of work.

He saw everything arsenic an opportunity, the adjacent large break.

Some of his concern ideas were dormant successful the h2o but others opened up breathtaking opportunities, specified arsenic his backstage investigations bureau and his website reuniting stolen items with their owners.

It was a small-scale cognition called Stolen Stuff Reunited but it attracted the attraction of immoderate astonishing clients.

So it was that successful June 2007 2 men, known arsenic J and Frank, came to Robbie and his concern spouse Jackie Doyle with a proposal.

Could they instrumentality The Madonna of the Yarnwinder to its proprietor and assertion the reward?

Robbie and Jackie were interested, but lone if they could bash it lawfully - truthful they got successful interaction with a lawyer, Marshall Ronald.

He contacted David Boyce, a solicitor astatine respected Scottish steadfast HBJ Gateley Wareing.

David, and his HBJ spouse Callum Jones, advised Marshall to found interaction with the nonaccomplishment adjuster, Mark Dalrymple. So Marshall sent him an email.

"I instantly thought Mr Ronald was deceptive," Mark told me.

This instant absorption shaped everything that followed, though that wouldn't go evident until later.

Marshall didn't woody with Mark Dalrymple directly. Instead helium was passed connected to a 3rd enactment who was described to him arsenic a typical of the Duke of Buccleuch.

A reward of £2m was settled upon quickly.

It would beryllium paid into an escrow relationship - held by a 3rd enactment - successful beforehand of the coating being returned.

Marshall would not beryllium capable entree the currency until the coating was back, but helium would beryllium capable to spot the wealth sitting successful the relationship waiting for him.

The radical holding the Madonna agreed to manus implicit the coating successful speech for a £700,000 chopped of the reward money.

A program was formed. Robbie would cod the artwork, instrumentality it to the offices of HBJ Gately Wareing successful Glasgow for repatriation and assertion the reward.

But past the Duke changed his mind.

Apparently nary wealth was to permission his relationship until aft the Madonna had been returned.

The radical holding the coating weren't blessed with this development. It shook their confidence. They demanded outgo upfront.

Where were Robbie and Marshall going to get their hands connected £700,000 successful cash?

"It was the astir stressful week of my life," remembers Marshall.

Negotiations led to the radical agreeing to a reduced outgo of £350,000 successful cash, positive a banker's draught for £150,000. Marshall was conscionable astir capable to laic his hands connected that magnitude of money.

Hale Village lies a fewer miles southeast of Liverpool metropolis centre. It was present connected Wednesday 3 October 2007 that Robbie pulled successful to the car parkland of the Childe of Hale pub with the currency and banker's draft.

It was J who turned up to instrumentality the money, but helium disappeared without handing implicit the painting.

By the clip helium came backmost - 4 hours aboriginal - my dada had been joined by Jackie. J came up to the car carrying thing covered successful a achromatic blanket.

I tin lone ideate what went done Robbie and Jackie's minds arsenic they took clasp of the package. I bash cognize that they unwrapped 1 country and had a peek. Then Robbie called Marshall.

"The woman is connected her mode home," helium said.

At 11:05am the pursuing day, Robbie, Jackie and Marshall met extracurricular the offices of HBJ Gateley Wareing - acceptable for a heroes' welcome.

But that's not what happened.

Mark Dalrymple tells me: "I knew that Glasgow and Dumfries constabulary were determination and had surrounded the offices."

This had been the program each along. Get the coating backmost and past swoop successful and marque arrests.

The reward hadn't been real, conscionable a portion of a constabulary operation.

I retrieve however I recovered everything out. My sister picked maine up from the bid presumption astatine Ormskirk and it came retired each successful 1 go.

She said: "Dad has been arrested, our location has been raided and we are connected the beforehand leafage of the section paper."

Two-and-a-half years later, Marshall, Robbie, Jackie, Callum Jones and David Boyce stood trial.

The complaint was conspiracy to extort.

The defence relied upon proving the radical had been led by the chemoreceptor by officials. It wasn't a straightforward case.

On 20 April 2010, Callum and David were recovered not guilty.

The complaint against Robbie, Jackie, and Marshall was recovered not proven.

My dada phoned maine not agelong aft the verdict. I don't retrieve precisely what helium said. It was thing like: "We did it and I'll beryllium location successful a fewer days. I emotion you".

The Duke of Buccleuch ne'er got to spot his coating returned. He died connected 4 September 2007 - 1 period earlier The Madonna of the Yarnwinder was delivered to the solicitors' offices.

No-one has been arrested for the theft of the coating and nary reward paid retired for its return. The Madonna of the Yarnwinder presently hangs successful the Scottish National Gallery successful Edinburgh.

My dada tried to determination connected aft the trial.

He threw himself into his household and his adjacent large program - with him determination was ever thing new.

But helium besides developed a caller appreciation for creation and I retrieve him dragging america circular galleries connected household holidays.

He died connected 19 December 2013, aged conscionable 61.

My dad's funeral, similar his life, was 1 large enactment filled with fantastic people, tons of stories, emotion and laughter.

He was a antheral for whom the possibilities of immoderate fixed time seemed endless.

I miss him each the time. I didn't deliberation I could emotion and admit him immoderate more.

In accordance with his wishes, my dad's coffin featured a photograph of him - 1 helium truly loved.

His limb is proudly wrapped astir a coating - Leonardo da Vinci's The Madonna of the Yarnwinder.