Map thief jailed for three years at Woolwich Crown Court
Melvin West, 70, stole a rare 17th Century world map from the National Maritime Museum and has not recovered it.
Incident → evidence → outcomeMelvin West, 70, has been sentenced to three years imprisonment after stealing a rare 17th Century world map from the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. The map, taken in February 2025, has not been recovered, and Judge Charlotte Welsh at Woolwich Crown Court stated West had led the court, police, and museum staff on a "merry dance" regarding its whereabouts.
The map, known as Nova Orbis Tabula, was cut from a 1684 atlas by Dutch cartographer Frederik de Wit while West was viewing it at the Caird Library. West, from Chingford in east London, had viewed the atlas on multiple occasions in December 2024 before the theft. Museum staff discovered a knife on the floor of the viewing room and subsequently found the map missing.
Unrecovered Map and Previous Convictions
West was arrested in March 2025, but the map was not found at his home. He later pleaded guilty to theft, criminal damage, and possession of a bladed article at Bromley Magistrates' Court. The prosecution stated the complete atlas was valued at approximately £50,000, with the map alone potentially fetching £6,000 on the black market. The atlas's current value is £20,000, though the prosecution noted the cultural loss significantly exceeded the financial one.
Defence counsel requested an adjournment for sentencing, suggesting a friend would pay a restoration fee and West could then return the map. Judge Welsh refused this request, stating she did not believe West's claims about the map's return, noting he had made similar unfulfilled promises over eight months. The judge indicated she believed West had stolen the map to order for a buyer.
The court heard that West has 27 previous convictions for 107 offences, including numerous dishonesty and theft charges, and had used multiple identities. Judge Welsh described the damage as having permanently diminished what can be learned from the map, which is of international cultural significance. Digital copies of the atlas are also incomplete, as reported by the BBC.
West received a three-year sentence for criminal damage, with concurrent sentences of 16 months for theft and six months for possessing a bladed article. The judge declined to suspend the sentence, stating immediate custody was necessary to deter similar offences.
Questions this report answers
01Why has Melvin West been jailed?
Melvin West, 70, has been jailed for three years for stealing a rare 17th Century world map from the National Maritime Museum. He cut the map from a 1684 atlas in February 2025 and has not recovered it. He pleaded guilty to theft, criminal damage, and possession of a bladed article.
02What is the value of the stolen map?
The complete atlas from which the map was stolen was valued at approximately £50,000. The map alone could have fetched £6,000 on the black market. However, the court heard that the cultural loss far outweighs the financial value of the item.
03Has the map been recovered?
No, the rare 17th Century world map has not been recovered. Judge Charlotte Welsh refused to adjourn sentencing because she did not believe West's claims about the map's return, stating he had been given eight months to produce it without success.
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