Burglar who 'walked past priceless artwork' in Damien Hirst's studio admits stealing £5,000 worth of goods

Liam Middleton-Gomm, 36, broke into Thames Wharf Studios in west London on June 30 and stole around £5,000 worth of goods – some of which were later found at his father’s home.

He admitted to two counts of burgling the riverside studio during a hearing at Kingston Crown Court on Friday.

His father, 62-year-old Leslie Gomm, previously pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods for his son’s benefit between June 29 and July 8.

Leslie Gomm, who has a previous 110 offences to his name, including 72 for theft or similar offences, initially denied any knowledge of the stolen items and alleged they were from a car boot sale.

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Hirst’s huge studio overlooks the river between Hammersmith and Putney bridges and has a password-protected secure door. 

But the thief smashed through a window next to a fire exit to enter the second floor gallery, prosecutors previously said. 

Residents by Thames Wharf claimed that the burglar must have walked past expensive artworks during the theft. 

“We heard they went in on about the 30th.

"But quite amusingly the rumour is they did not take any artwork.

"Whoever it was just went straight past invaluable artwork and made off with thousands in clothes,” a resident told the Daily Mail.

Bristol-born, Leeds-raised artist Hirst came to attention in 1988 when he was a student at Goldsmiths, University of London, where he conceived and curated the group exhibition Freeze.

Hirst’s best known artwork includes a pickled shark, a rotting cow’s head and diamond-encrusted skull.

He took home the prestigious Turner Prize in 1995 for his formaldehyde-preserved cow and calf, called Mother And Child, Divided.