Metal detectorists who stole £12m Viking treasure trove jailed for nearly 20 years
The pair could have made at least £500,000 each if they had declared the "invaluable" collection after digging it up on a farm.
Two metal detectorists who stole Viking coins and jewellery worth up to £12m have been jailed for nearly 20 years.
George Powell, 38, of Newport, who was described as having the "leading role", was jailed for 10 years, and Layton Davies, 51, of Pontypridd, was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in jail.
The pair failed to declare the "invaluable" collection of buried treasure dating back 1,100 years to the birth of a united English kingdom, during the time of Alfred the Great.
If they had declared the find, as the law requires, they would have made at least £500,000 each, the judge said.
The treasure was dug up on Herefordshire farmland on 2 June 2015 but most of it is still missing after being sold or hidden.
It is thought the trove, much of which was Anglo Saxon but typical of a Viking burial hoard, was buried by someone from the Great Viking Army in either 878 or 879.
If they had declared the find, as the law requires, they would have made at least £500,000 each, the judge said.
The treasure was dug up on Herefordshire farmland on 2 June 2015 but most of it is still missing after being sold or hidden.
It is thought the trove, much of which was Anglo Saxon but typical of a Viking burial hoard, was buried by someone from the Great Viking Army in either 878 or 879.
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