Judge’s disgust at museum heist plot

It was an audacious multimillion-euro plan to plunder some of the last reserves of rhino horn and carved jade items that spanned the globe.

Members of the gang known as the Rathkeale Rovers raided museums and an auction house, seizing €22.5m in Chinese jade in one swoop alone.

Given the scarcity of the reserves, it is not surprising that yesterday the judge who sentenced seven of the 14 men behind the series of robberies expressed sadness that there was “no prospect of recovery” of many of the items.