Bedford man accused of £1.5m theft claims antiques were gifted to him

Gary Pickersgill and his father Des Pickersgill said the elderly woman had given them the items

A former gardener accused of stealing antiques worth more than £1.5m from a wealthy widow said she gave them to him, a court heard.

Des Pickersgill and son Gary are said to have sold items, including Chinese jade and ivory ornaments, taken from the 96-year-old's Bedfordshire home.

Luton Crown Court heard they were taken from an unlocked cabinet between November 2011 and May 2018.

The pair deny theft, fraud and converting criminal property.

Des Pickersgill, 83, told the court he thought the woman had given him six pieces in all, which he sold through Bonhams in London.

A jade brush washer was also part of the woman's collection, the court heard

He said her partner had also given him four pieces of Jade before his death in 2000.

Giving evidence, he said before he died the woman's partner had asked him to look after her and take care of the garden.

He said he took her shopping, worked on her garden, did household chores and, with his son, carried out DIY tasks in the house.

He described her as a "brilliant" woman who would give him and others who worked for her £100 cash gifts for birthdays and Christmas.

The woman's grandson photographed her collection in 2011

The father and son are said to have opened accounts with Bonhams to sell items, making out they had the authority to do so.

Des Pickersgill said he "really, honestly" couldn't remember if he had told the widow he was selling the items at Bonhams.

He told the court: "I shared it out (money) with the kids; money went to my children."

On Tuesday, the jury had heard that in 2018 Gary Pickersgill, 42, enlisted the help of friends, married couple Kevin and Tracey Wigmore, to open the account at Bonhams.

Des Pickersgill, of Clyde Crescent, Bedford, and Gary Pickersgill, 42, of Saxby Avenue, Skegness, Lincolnshire, deny theft.

Along with Mr Wigmore, 47, of Sapphire Close, Orby, near Skegness, they deny fraud relating to representations made to Bonhams.

The jury was directed on Wednesday to acquit Mrs Wigmore, 49, of the fraud offence after the judge hearing the case said there was insufficient evidence to proceed on that count.

The above four and Gary Pickersgill's wife Sarah Pickersgill, 40, deny converting criminal property.

The case continues.