Farhad Hakimzadeh defaced and stole precious books from the Bodleian and British Libraries. Pic courtesy Metropolitan Police
A London businessman who stole and damaged priceless books at the Bodleian Library and British Library has been sentence to two years in prison.
Farhad Hakimzadeh, 60, of Rutland Gardens, pleaded guilty to ten counts of theft at Wood Green Crown Court in August last year, and asked for a further 20 charges to be taken into account including material from the Bodleian Library in Oxford.
He mutilated plates and maps from a collection mainly from the 16th, 17th and 18th century, with a lesser number of 19th and 20th century items.
Most of the material he tampered with covered the West European engagement with Mesopotamia, Persia and the Mogul empire and western travel, colonisation and exploration.
The British Library said Mr Hakimzadeh had “used considerable skill, deceit and determination” in instances which were often difficult to spot.
“We have zero tolerance of anyone who harms our collections and will pursue anyone who threatens them with utmost vigour,” said a spokesperson.
Detective Chief Inspector Dave Cobb, who was part of a major investigation led by library staff and the Metropolitan Police, said: “Hakimzadeh was a member of both the British Library and the Bodleian Library and he committed his crimes by looking at books in the library reading rooms.
"While doing so, he would carefully remove particular pages from a book and then return it in its damaged condition.
“It is extremely difficult to detect the absence of these pages as Hakimzadeh took care to select material that only an expert would be able to identify, as early printed books are unique. The original owner might have commissioned additional illustrations, or pages might have been missing when the libraries acquired them.
“Following the discovery of damage to one volume, an audit of Hakimzadeh’s activities at the libraries then revealed the extent of his offending.
“Some of the stolen pages were recovered inserted in other copies of the relevant book at his home address. “
Dr Kristian Jensen, Head of British and Early Printed Collections at the British Library said: “The particular illustrations and pages that Hakimzadeh stole are not just valuable in themselves.
“These thefts have struck at the very heart of the British Library’s historic collections, making their loss and the vandalism that accompanied their theft especially harmful.
“When they make their collections available, libraries require that a bond of trust be honoured between the reader and the institution. In return for gaining access to research material the reader agrees to treat the books he or she consults with care and respect.
Under a cover of serious scholarly purpose, Hakimzadeh betrayed the trust. The violation of the collections by Hakimzadeh transcends mere monetary loss – his victims are the researchers of the future who will not be able to consult this material.”
Civil proceedings are now underway to recover further items and to seek financial compensation.
