Accused billion dollar art thief tries suicide

A French waiter on trial for stealing artworks worth a billion dollars tried to hang himself overnight.

Police have put Stephane Breitwieser, 33, under suicide watch following the attempt, which could delay his trial in Strasbourg, officials said.

A fellow detainee alerted authorities to the hanging attempt, the officials said.

Breitwieser faces up to three years in jail for allegedly stealing 23 works worth an estimated €1bn in France, plus two in Denmark and one in Austria.

He has already served time in Switzerland, and was extradited to France in July. A Swiss court sentenced him to four years in prison after he admitted stealing 239 paintings and museum works.

His mother, Mireille, is also on trial in Strasbourg and faces up to five years behind bars for slashing some works or throwing them into a canal. Anne-Catherine Kleinklauss – the son’s ex-girlfriend who acted as a lookout – is accused of receiving stolen items.

Breitwieser’s lawyer said he was motivated only by a love of art, and insisted he had never tried to sell any of the stolen art. As a boy, Breitwieser visited museums alone since the age of 10 and was passionate about art from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.