Book thief who pillaged libraries gets 5 1/2 years

Lee Simpson forged Janet Frame's signature to improve the value of her books and hid rare and valuable collections in a Christchurch riverbed as he waited for a buyer.

He stole from libraries up and down the country for 10 years, making at least $150,000. He justified his actions to police by saying he believed that the Government owned the books and the proceeds went back to a state agency - the TAB.

But Simpson was told in the Christchurch District Court yesterday that as a result of his actions, "a number of books you stole have gone overseas, never to be available for the benefit of the inhabitants of this country".

Judge Murray Abbott called Simpson's 10 years of offending "systematic and organised" and sentenced him to 5 1/2 years' jail. He said Simpson had stolen "a priceless part" of the country's history.

The 44-year-old had earlier pleaded guilty to 70 charges including burglary, receiving, forgery and money laundering, all done to support his gambling addiction.

He is said to be the ringleader of a group involved in the thefts. Ten more people are facing charges.

Police say Simpson and his colleagues targeted libraries all over the country, stealing valuable books and collections.

The books were altered to disguise their origins. Their bindings were repaired or replaced and library codings removed.

They were sold on the secondhand market or to collectors through websites such as TradeMe. Buyers would have been unaware their purchase was from a less-than-reputable source, Judge Abbott said.

Simpson's knowledge of rare books came from his late father. He later manufactured rubber stamps with his father's name and would stamp the books once their library markings had been removed, to make them look as though they had come from his father's estate.

Simpson was approached by police after selling stolen books to two undercover officers. He initially denied all knowledge but soon confessed and helped police to recover some of what he had stolen.

That included leading police to a stony pit dug out of the Waimakiriri River and covered with a tarpaulin, where 185 books were recovered.

He also took six boxes of books - 102 in total - to the Christchurch police station, including complete sets of collections dating back to 1780.

Police have recovered 1640 books but they believe that is only a fraction of what was stolen.