Cambridge Graduate Jailed

20 July 2010, 12:08 | Updated: 20 July 2010, 12:14

A Cambridge University graduate who stole more than £40,000 worth of antique books from a world famous library has been jailed.

William Jacques, who's 41, used a false name to sign into the Royal Horticultural Society's Library in London in April 2007.

He then stuffed the books inside his tweed jacket and walking out.

The judge, who said Jacques had no mitigation, told him: "You are a Cambridge graduate and should know better, I suppose.

This was a systematic and carefully-planned theft and you had prepared what, in my view, was a target list, from your research at that library, of books that were worth stealing.

This was a theft in progress and the list referred to books worth tens of thousands of pounds more.

Your entire motivation was commercial and you intended to make whatever money you could from the theft of these books despite their cultural value."

Jacques, of no fixed address, was found guilty of theft, relating to the 13 volumes missing from the library, by a majority of 11-1, and has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison.