Hoard Finders Go To Jail For Not Reporting Find

This is the law everywhere that I know of.

I agree. I just got done watching something on TV about another hoard that was found years ago on a farm. The metal detectorist in this case had the landowners permission and reported his find. After the hoard was inspected and a total value was assessed, it sounded like the "Finder" got a reward totaling the value of the find. The gentleman who found the hoard gave half the reward to the landowner as well. Very cool of him.

 

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If it was in Great Britain, I'm pretty sure the law states the reward is split by the finder and the land owner. Someone correct me if this is wrong.

 

Interesting to note too that in a rather similar case, concerning the so called Salisbury Hoard, back around 1985, (with artifacts just as sensational), the two guys involved got suspended sentences.............

 

Perhaps they came to the realization that people were just not getting the message. These guys will probably get "shock release" after 90 days, like they would here in the US.

 

The treasure act was changed in 1996 defining which objects are classified as treasure, legally obliging the finder to report their find.
Also a large proportion of this latest find are unnaccounted for and the guilty are refusing to disclose where they are.

They will serve half the jail time before being considered for parole.

 

Personally, I agree with @Bing on this. Wrongdoing certainly - but a surprisingly harsh sentence. A quick reading of the 1996 act seems to suggest a maximum jail term of 3 months for non-reporting - so am unclear on the charges laid. Were they theft from the land owner?

BTW since mention has been made of “Great Britain” in this thread I will try clarify. The complex laws in England and Wales attempt to recognise a whole bunch of interests concerning the landowner, the finder, the Crown and scholarship. And it only apples to very specific sets of metal objects

The situation in Scotland is philosophically very different. As I understand it, if you dig up an old boot in Scotland the crown has an exclusive right to claim it - against all comers. On the positive side, the crown will stump up the market value in Scotland too.

Rob T

 

Theft, deception,and concealment charges.