An array of artwork has been seized from notorious Edinburgh gangster Mark Richardson.
The Civil Recovery Unit made an application to Edinburgh Sheriff Court for the recovery of 12 pieces of art and one watch from cocaine kingpin Richardson, who is currently serving a prison sentence of eight years and nine months at HMP Glenochil.
The artwork includes signed Peter Howson prints, colour signed prints of Graham McKean works and an oil canvas of 'Speak No Evil, See No Evil, Hear No Evil'.
The application was granted by a sheriff at the court last month. The proceedings were then subject to a 30-day appeal period, however Richardson opted not to contest the decision.
All seized items will go under the hammer at an auction later this year, with proceeds going to the Scottish Consolidated Fund, which is operated by the Scottish Parliament.
The 34-year-old was one of nine men jailed for a total of almost 90 years in January 2018.
The gang was described as Scotland’s “most sophisticated” crime group and he was jailed for eight years and nine months.
Officers found a Glock handgun loaded with 15 bullets when they arrested Richardson in Baillieston, near Glasgow, and helicopter footage released by police showed him driving recklessly as he tried to evade officers in December 2016.
He later pled guilty to firearms offences and his not guilty plea of attempting to murder Ross Monaghan was accepted.
In 2019, he was handed a Serious Crime Prevention Order – dubbed a “super-Asbo” – and will face controls on his cash, phone calls and internet use when he’s released from prison.
Later that year he was moved out of Edinburgh’s Saughton Prison after reports he had “taken over”.
A full-list of items seized from Richardson by the unit are as follows:
- a man's silver Tag Heuer Aqua Racer Watch
- a lithographic signed print of Peter Howson's Road to Vitez
- a colour signed print of Graham McKean's Ship of Fools
- coloured signed print of Graham McKean's The Kiss
- colour signed print of Graham McKean's The Kiss II
- colour signed print of Graham McKean's Shopaholics
- colour signed print of Graham McKean's Desperados
- colour signed print of Graham McKean's The Nightclub
- colour signed print of Graham McKean's The Backshift
- signed print of Peter Howson's Fetch in pastel
- signed print of Peter Howson's Woman and Dog in pastel
- signed print of Peter Howson's The Negotiators
- an oil canvas of Speak No Evil, See No Evil, Hear No Evil
A spokesperson for the Civil Recovery Unit said: “An order has been granted for the forfeiture of certain assets. They will be valued and sold in due course, with the proceeds from their sale sent to the Scottish Consolidated Fund.”
The Civil Recovery Unit is made up of financial investigators, forensic accountants and lawyers, and is said to "act on behalf of Scottish Ministers as the enforcement authority for Scotland under Part 5 of the Proceeds of Crime Act".
Their aim is to use civil proceedings to "disrupt crime and to make Scotland a hostile environment for criminals". They do this by seeking to recovery cash and assets obtained through crime.
Their action against Richardson came after the 34-year-old was jailed for his role as part of a vast criminal network involving drugs and firearms.
He was one of nine men jailed for a total of almost 90 years in January 2018.
The group were previously described as Scotland's "most sophisticated" crime group, who went to great lengths to avoid detection.
