Latest news with #GeorgePowell
BBC News
22-05-2025
- BBC News
Missing Herefordshire Viking treasure coin unearthed in Croydon
A coin missing from a stolen Viking hoard has been discovered for sale in Croydon, London. George Powell and Layton Davies, from Wales, dug up more than 300 silver coins and gold jewellery in a Herefordshire field in 2015. If the metal detectorists had declared the hoard, they could have been millionaires, but instead they sold it for profit and were sent to years since the treasure was discovered, more than 230 coins are still missing and police investigations are ongoing. In 2019, Powell and Davies, from Pontypridd, were convicted of stealing the hoard of gold jewels and silver coins and hiding the find. As he sent them to jail, Judge Nicholas Cartright told the jury at Worcester Crown Court that they had "stolen from the nation".Photos taken by the pair showed more than 300 coins in a freshly dug hole but only 72 of them have been believe they are in the hands of organised crime gangs across the world and now one has been found on sale in London. "We have been notified by colleagues at the Metropolitan Police that a coin, believed to be part of the Herefordshire Hoard, has surfaced for sale in Croydon," said Det Insp Ben Pearson, from West Mercia Police."Enquiries are ongoing to establish how this coin came to be in London. "Some of the hoard remains unaccounted for and we remain open-minded as to its whereabouts. "We will continue to investigate any items that come to light and may be linked." Experts believed the coins were Anglo-Saxon and to have been hidden by hoard also included a Ninth Century gold ring, a crystal rock pendant, a dragon's head bracelet and an ingot. The hoard will soon take pride of place in the Hereford Museum and Art Gallery which is having a £22m restoration. After £776,250 was raised to bring them back to the county, they are set to go on public display in a purpose-built exhibition space. "We would love to have the missing pieces of this extraordinary hoard returned to their rightful place in Herefordshire," said Damian Etheraads, from Hereford Museum.
Leader Live
19-05-2025
- General
- Leader Live
MS sheds light on Wrexham Miners Project's latest work
MS for Wrexham Many readers will be aware of the Wrexham Miners Project and the wonderful work it does in helping preserve our mining history and heritage. After a challenging period in which the future of building was under threat, the centre on Maesgwyn Road is now a thriving community hub, housing a café, museum, an arts and events space and a memorial in remembrance of the 266 miners who died in the Gresford Colliery disaster. The restoration is ongoing and the entire team, led by the brilliant George Powell, deserves a huge amount of praise. Their latest ambitious project, entitled 'Lost in the Dark', is aiming to erect a memorial in every local community and village around Wrexham affected by the Gresford Mining disaster. I had the honour of unveiling the first memorial on Green Road in Brymbo directly opposite the former home of Earnest Edwards. Earnest was just 16 years old when he lost his life and although record keeping at the time wasn't entirely reliable, it is believed he was the youngest person to die in the tragedy. Credit must go to Margaret Jones of The North Wales Miners Association Trust (NWMAT) who has searched and cross checked the records and archives to obtain the most accurate information possible. It is hoped the project will be completed over the next couple of years and if any families wish to help with the creation of the Lost in the Dark memorials, please contact the Wrexham Miners Project. Hwb yr Orsedd is a vibrant community meeting place and café in the heart of Rossett that officially opened in October last year. I first visited in 2020 when all that was on site was a disused toilet block. I remember writing letters of support as the volunteers successfully applied for funding from the Welsh Government, as well as other sources, to help turn their ambitious plans into reality. The transformation is incredible and everyone involved in the project should be proud of what they have achieved. The state-of-the-art facility is already a key part of the community and during a recent visit, it was pleasing to hear from staff and volunteer trustees how the hub is moving from strength to strength. I will certainly be visiting again soon! As always, if you're a constituent in Wrexham and there is an issue I could help you with, please contact me via email: or call 01978 355743.
Daily Mirror
13-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Fugitive metal detectorist probably sold £5m Viking hoard 'for a song'
The Mirror goes on the hunt for wanted George Powell and the missing treasure that he stole as his mother's partner says he is penniless and probably flogged off the loot for a pittance A rogue metal detectorist on the run for stealing a Viking hoard worth up to £5.2million probably sold the missing treasure "for a song", his mother's partner has said. George Powell failed to declare the coins and jewellery that had been buried for over 1,100 years and is now wanted for failing to hand it back. Powell has previously admitted his aim was to become rich and "get the payout", only for his greed to end in his downfall. Images showing him and fellow detectorist Layton Davies, 56, holding the treasure provided the evidence that jailed them. Like misfit friends Andy and Lance in the BBC series Detectorists, the pair had spent years scouring the countryside searching for treasure. Worcester crown court heard there may have been up to 300 coins - worth up to £5,285,250 - buried at the farm near Leominster, Herefordshire, where Powell and Davies unearthed the hoard in June 2015. Around 200 coins and some of the jewellery remain unaccounted for. The Daily Mirror can reveal that Powell, 45, stands accused of conning his mother's partner out of more than £20,000. Speaking from his home in Newport, South Wales, minutes after two police officers visited the flat searching for the selfish thief, Ray Gibson, 77, said: "He's had thousands and thousands of pounds out of me, giving me wonky information. He sold me Krugerrands which were all duff when I had them checked. "He sold me a Rolex watch still in the box. He said the paperwork was coming but it was a snide. He had £21,000 in cash. He's a rip off. I think it's just in his genes." Asked if he expected Powell to pay it back, Ray said: "To be quite honest he hasn't got anything." On the whereabouts of the coins, he added: "God knows, they've probably been sold for a song." Powell failed to appear at Birmingham Magistrates Court on 8 January. He was due to have been sentenced for failing to repay £600,000, the money a judge had earlier decided was his share of the missing coins and jewellery. Davies, from Pontypridd, is serving an extra five years and three months in prison for failing to pay his share. Ray said Powell had told his mother he was living in the Birmingham area and he hadn't seen him for around a year. It comes after Powell told his local newspaper in November that he wasn't on the run because he had done nothing wrong. He said: "I was convicted in 2019 for finding treasure in a field that I had permission to be on. Assumptions found me guilty and I received 6 and half years in jail. Rapists don't get anywhere near that sentence and what I did wasn't a crime because as you know, no one reported it lost or stolen with it being in the ground for 1500 years. "I was lucky enough to find it and declare the items but hearsay and the corruption sent me to prison, away from my children, family and friends." Speaking to the Mirror two years ago, Powell said he wanted to stage an archaeological excavation at the spot where he found the hoard on live TV. He wrote: "I understand that the farmer, museum will be happy for a live dig at the site of interest that could be a burial and so on which would no doubt bring in many viewers world wide." He added in another message: "This can be big done right and Im sure we all involved can make it big." Giving evidence at a proceeds of crime hearing in 2022, Powell claimed he only found 51 coins and sold the unrecovered 20 for just £10,000. He said of the money: "I gambled it away. I've got a bit of a naughty habit." Davies knew nothing about him selling any of the coins, he said. Powell said he sold 20 coins to dealer Simon Wicks who he met at M4 service stations and was later jailed for five years for concealment. Powell, who was jailed for six-and-a -half years for theft and concealment, said: "We're metal detectorists, you want to become rich to get the payout." Asked why he changed his mind and decided to give evidence, he said: "I've got nothing to lose. I've lost my partner, I'm in prison. Your honour and the public deserve the right to know the truth. Prison has made the best of me." School technician Davies, a grandfather, was said to have told Powell to hand in the treasure and had himself previously declared 100 finds. Asked if he felt guilty that his friend could now face more jail time, Powell said: "I do partially, but it's his choice, he's a grown man. If he didn't want to be there, he didn't have to be there." By law treasure must be declared and if it is later sold, the money is split 50/50 between the finder and land- owner. The hoard included a 9th century gold ring, a dragon's head arm bracelet, at least one silver ingot and a small crystal rock pendant held in thin strips of gold dating to the 5th or 6th century. Among the silver coins were the extremely rare "two emperors" depicting King Alfred of Wessex and Ceolwulf II of Mercia - which reveal how the two kingdoms were coming together in the early stages of the formation of England. The hoard was probably hidden by a retreating Viking soldier after being defeated by Alfred the Great in 878. Craig Best, from County Durham, and Roger Pilling, from Lancashire, were each jailed for five years and two months in 2023 after trying to sell 44 rare Anglo-Saxon coins worth £766,000. They were thought to be part of the hoard uncovered by Powell and Davies. The rest is still missing.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Owensboro Catholic High holds 74th commencement
Owensboro Catholic High School held its 74th commencement Friday night, with the 99 seniors in the Class of 2025 receiving diplomas during the ceremony at the Owensboro Sportscenter. Principal George Powell said the class was noteworthy for its academic and athletic achievements, which he said were 'excellent.' Sixty members of the class have received scholarship money for their secondary education. 'It's been a great year,' Powell said. 'I think they have a lot of leadership potential. And there are a lot of varied interests across this group. We've got some that are going to college, some to tech school. It's a pretty diverse group, as well.' Powell said while graduation is an exciting time for the students and staff members, marking a new chapter in the students' lives, it's also 'very emotional.' 'Anytime that you spend 170 days a year, eight hours a day (together), you become attached,' he said. 'You hate to see them go.' There were 13 John J. McRaith Order of Distinguished Graduates: • Summa Cum Laude — Jacob Davis Hammen, Patrick James Hauke, Madeleine Elizabeth Kanipe and James Alexander Wethington IV • Magna Cum Laude — Madeline Jo Burshears, Chloe Alana Calitri, Vincent Stephen Carrico, Elyssa Merin Danner and Benjamin Charles Dawson • Cum Laude — Grace Elizabeth Lin Blincoe, Carmen Elena Brauer, Jaiden Alyse Grant and Michael Thomas Lyon Hauke and Kanipe addressed their classmates during the Ceremony of the Graduates. The running theme among all of the graduates was how much their classmates felt like family. 'The nice thing about Catholic is we're all real close,' said Tucker Ray, class president. 'We've all been together for 14 or 15 years, straight through. It's definitely been a lot of work to get up to this point, and I'm going to miss everybody. Big changes are coming up for everybody, kind of going out in the world now, leaving our little bubble.' Ray will be attending Western Kentucky University in the fall to study civil engineering. 'I wanted to stay kind of close to home,' he said. 'I looked at some other schools. But I like Western because it has grass, it has trees. I'm not a big fan of all the concrete. I can't do the big city thing.' Abbigail Powers, class vice president, said graduation is 'bittersweet' because she has been with many of her classmates throughout her school years and feels a special bond with them. 'It really is a family, and I know a lot of people say that, but just the closeness of all of it and growing up together for 13 years,' she said. 'A lot of us have been here the entire time, and just seeing the changes we've all gone through together I think has brought us a lot closer than being at a school that has a ton of kids.' Powers will be attending WKU in the fall for its pre-pharmacy program. 'They have a really good program, and they're partnered with (the University of Kentucky), so I'll go to pharmacy school there,' she said. 'While I'm definitely going to be sad to see everybody go, just because we are really close and I've grown up with them all, I'm also excited for what's to come.' Ella Johnston, class secretary, also attended Owensboro Catholic Schools since kindergarten. She said it's a wonderful community. 'I really feel like I can go to any teacher or any one of my peers and just be able to talk to them and be friends with them and to just feel really at home,' she said. 'Since it's a smaller school, I really feel like I know everybody. I can name everybody in my class and can tell you at least one thing I know about them. Being a smaller school helps us all become a better community.' Johnston will attend WKU to study film production. 'It's one of those things where I can't see myself doing anything else,' she said. 'I'm looking forward to it.' Alexa Medina, class treasurer, entered Owensboro Catholic Schools as a freshman and has enjoyed 'learning more about my faith and being in a small school community.' Medina will attend the University of Southern Indiana to become a dental hygienist. 'I just want to help other people in any way I can,' she said.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Yahoo
Warrant issued for Viking hoard thief
A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a man found guilty of stealing a Viking hoard of gold worth £3 million. Metal detectorist George Powell, from Newport, failed to appear at Birmingham Magistrates Court on 8 January. He was due to have been sentenced for failing to repay £600,000, the money a judge had earlier decided was his share of the missing coins and jewellery. His fellow detectorist, Layton Davies, from Pontypridd, is serving an extra five years and three months in prison for failing to pay his share. In 2015, George Powell and Layton Davies uncovered 300 coins and gold jewellery in a field in Eye, near Leominster, Herefordshire. Instead of declaring the treasure, as required by law, they sold the valuables to dealers. In 2019, they were both found guilty of theft, conspiring to conceal criminal property, and converting criminal property by selling it. George Powell was sentenced to 10 years in prison, later reduced to six and a half years on appeal. Layton Davies was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison, later reduced to five years on appeal. At the time of the trial, just 31 of the estimated 300 coins that they found had been recovered. Experts believed the coins were Anglo-Saxon and to have been hidden by a Viking. One of them was a double-headed coin, showing two rulers of England. Alfred the Great, who ruled Wessex, and Ceolwulf II of Mercia. Historians said this showed there was an alliance previously not thought to exist between the kings, changing what we know about the unification of England. The hoard also included a 9th-century gold ring, a crystal rock pendant, a dragon's head bracelet and an ingot. At the trial, the judge told the men they were guilty of stealing the nation's history. In 2022, both George Powell and Layton Davies appeared at Worcester Crown Court. Judge Nicholas Cartwright told the men he believed about 270 coins were still being deliberately hidden by them. They were given a confiscation order and each told to repay £600,000 or go back to jail. George Powell appealed against that order, but his attempts to stay out of prison were rejected twice by an appeal judge and also the Court of Appeal in London. He was due to be sentenced at Birmingham Magistrates Court in January, but he failed to appear, so a warrant was issued for his arrest. Hereford Museum raised £776,250 to buy the jewellery, the ingot, and 29 coins from the owner of the field where they were found. The Museum and Art Gallery is undergoing a £22 million refurbishment and is due to reopen with a purpose-built space where the coins and jewellery will be on permanent display. In May 2023, two further men, Craig Best, from County Durham, and Roger Pilling, from Lancashire, were each jailed for five years and two months after trying to sell 44 rare Anglo-Saxon coins worth £766,000. The coins were thought to be part of the hoard uncovered in Herefordshire by George Powell and Layton Davies. The rest of the hoard is still missing. Hunt continues for missing Viking hoard artefacts Judge rejects Viking hoard thief's appeal bid Viking hoard thieves must pay £600k each Detectorists jailed for stealing £3m Viking hoard Men jailed for £766k Anglo-Saxon coin sale plot
