‘Privileged’ teenager stole and sold gran’s jewels worth £175k

A Scottish court heard how Richard Silver, 17, sold the family heirlooms which were “intended to be handed down through the generations”.

Silver, who suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome, said he felt he had “no choice” but to help himself to the possessions his 93-year-old grandmother kept in her safe, after being thrown out of a plush apartment, bought for him by his father, following a family row.

He went to the home of his 93-year-old paternal grandmother in the Giffnock area of Glasgow, to live with her for a short time. But once there, he hatched the plot to take her jewels and flee to London.

Police were called and a nationwide search for the teenager was launched. He was finally tracked down to an aunt’s house in London.

Paisley Sheriff Court heard none of the jewellery had been recovered.

The court was told that, since committing the offence in February this year, and fleeing to London, Silver had also carried out a similar crime involving the aunt with whom he had stayed in London.

He had subsequently appeared in court in the capital in connection with that matter and been made the subject of a referral order.

Depute fiscal Douglas Hamilton told the Paisley court: “This is a very unusual case.

“The accused comes from a very respectable and, some might say, privileged background and although the value of the items taken is considerable, there is great regret as these were what might be described as quality classics – pieces that were to be passed down through the generations – and that has been an added sting in the tail.”

The valuation came from the last assessment for insurance but fresh cover had not been obtained as it was felt the cost was prohibitive.

The court was told Silver had caused concerns from an early age due to disruptive behaviour but which had been accommodated within the family while he was a child.

As a teenager, he became more difficult to cope with and, between the age of 13 and 15, he attended a special needs boarding school in Fife.

Nearer the end of that period, his father purchased an apartment at the exclusive Glasgow Harbour development for him to use at weekends, then to have as his own place, although he also spent some time with his gran.

A new property was then bought for him in the prosperous suburb of Newton Mearns, south of Glasgow, and he was provided with an allowance.

However, after a disagreement, he was told he would have to learn to stand on his own two feet and support himself financially.

Silver believed this left him with “no other option” but to steal the jewels and sell them in London, the court heard.

He was said to have a fascination with material goods and money but was unable to fully understand their value in a social context.

Silver now rents a flat in the London borough of Barnet and is being assisted by an organisation called The Clubhouse, set up to help troubled children from Jewish backgrounds, and has found work in the City of London as a foreign exchange trainee.

Silver pleaded guilty to stealing the jewellery between 10 January and 22 February. Sheriff Neil Douglas said Silver had to take personal responsibility for his actions, though called for background reports to be compiled.

Sheriff Douglas said that Silver was “clearly facing custody” and ordered him to return to court for sentencing on 12 December.