Lis-Map Persons:
For your information, with love from Russia (er, Finland)
Francis Herbert
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http://www.rgs.org
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Pellervo Kokkonen [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 07 August 2001 16:25
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: University Library Map thief extradited to Finland
>
>
>
> Here are some news from Helsingin Sanomat. Translation with all the errors
> is mine. I hope you can understand at least something. Pellervo Kokkonen
>
> HELSINGIN SANOMAT 7.8.2001 (www.helsinginsanomat.fi)
> Melvin Nelson Perry who is suspected of theft of old maps earlier this
> year was brought to Helsinki-Vantaa airport by two policemen late monday
> night. He was transported directly to Pasila police prison and will most
> likely be arrested due the alledged thefts.
>
> Perry who has resided in London wanted to come to Finland voluntarily,
> which Interpol informed to the Finnish Police etc. etc. ....the chief of
> the investigation Pekka Korhonen think Perry felt overwhelmed by the
> dimensions the case was rapidly reaching and wanted to come voluntarily.
> His history with several thefts of old maps has been known to British
> authorities and therefore he had been under surveillance.
>
> The police suspects Perry stole by gentlemanny manner sic ancient maps
> from the University of Helsinki Library. Four of the maps are still
> missing, but two have been returned to the Finnish Embassy in London. The
> identity of the anonymous person who returned the maps is still under
> investigation. Now that Perry has been arrested the goal is to find out
> what has happened to the missing maps and whether Perry acted
> independently or had received orders for maps.
>
> ***
>
> British citizen Melvin Nelson Perry (44) stole in February six maps from
> the A.E. Nordenskiöld Collection of thte Helsinki University Library in
> front of the eyes of library personnel. His elegant behaviour and refined
> English might have misled the librarians. The auction value of the maps is
> believed to reach 0.5 million Finnish marks. The library was unable to
> prevent the theft although it had received warmings. The oldest map is
> from the 15th and the youngest from the 17th century. Two of the stoled
> maps were returned via the Finnish Embassy in London to the University
> Library, but the returned maps were not among the most valuable.
>
> Perry has committed similar crimes before Helsinki also in Hague,
> Copenhagen, and Stockholm. He was convicted in 1995 for 4 years in prison
> for thefts committed in the British Library and Cambridge university. In
> Helsinki he had stayed in Hotel Arthus and flown back to London with a
> cheap airline. In March the British police was able to locate Perry and
> arrest him. Then Finland asked for his extradition. The maximum sentence
> for the crime in Finland is four years in prison. etc.
> Kimmo Oksanen
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