A famous 17th century portrait of the Duke of Wellington was stolen from the National Gallery in central London.

The painting, by Spanish painter Goya, had been in the news after the UK government had been forced to frantically assemble enough money to stop it being sold to a collector abroad.

The theft caught the imagination of the public and was even written into the first James Bond movie, Dr. No, where the painting can be seen in the villain’s lair.

The painting was missing for 4 years before it was suddenly retuned and pensioner Kempton Bunton admitted stealing the portrait as a protest against OAP’s having to pay for TV licences.

He was jailed for 3 months, but papers released in 1996 by the National Gallery suggest that he was probably innocent of the crime.