Berlin police recover John Lennon diaries

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Beatles for sale: Berlin police recover John Lennon diaries
The Local Germany
AFP
20 November 2017


A sketch drawn by John Lennon that hangs at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York. Photo: DPA.

German police on Monday arrested a 58-year-old man in Berlin on suspicion of handling stolen items from John Lennon's estate, including the late Beatle's diaries.

The items were stolen from Lennon's widow Yoko Ono in New York in 2006 and have been seized as evidence, Martin Steltner, a spokesman for the Berlin prosecutor's office, said.

The unidentified man was taken into custody suspected of fraud and handling stolen goods.

A second suspect, who lives in Turkey, "is unattainable for us at the present time," Steltner said in a recorded statement posted on Twitter.

The stolen goods consisted of "various items from the estate of John Lennon, including several diaries that were written by him," Steltner added.

The items resurfaced in the German capital about three years ago.

They were confiscated this year as part of the investigation and it is unclear when they will be returned to the estate.

"The release of the seized evidence cannot yet be decided," Steltner said.

Lennon, who along with Paul McCartney penned some of the Fab Four's biggest hits including "Help" and "With a Little Help from My Friends", was shot dead by a troubled fan in New York in 1980.

His possessions have since become collectors' items.

A leather jacket supposedly worn by Lennon sold for £10,400 (€11,700; $13,800) at an auction in England in February.

Intensive Ermittlungen von Kolleg. unseres Kunstkommissariats beim #LKA und der Staatsanwaltschaft Berlin führten zur Sicherstellung verschiedener Gegenstände (u.a. Tagebücher) aus dem Nachlass von John #Lennon und der Festnahme eines Verdächtigen nach Betrug & Hehlerei.
^tsm pic.twitter.com/ay8g9jMjXk

— Polizei Berlin (@polizeiberlin) 20 de noviembre de 2017

Thanks to the intensive investigation of our colleagues from the CID Unit responsible for combating art crime, items belonging to John #Lennon's estate were seized and one suspect was arrested due to fraud and recieving stolen goods. https://t.co/xMN18hkrqT

— Polizei Berlin (@polizeiberlin) 20 de noviembre de 2017