The cameras were stolen from the store in August.
Screenshot/Ljósmyndavörur
The co-owner of the store Ljósmyndavörur is perplexed that the man who bought the cameras stolen from the shop in August will face no consequences. The cameras were recently recovered—all found in the same man’s home—after the store received an anonymous tip.
This was among the points made by Bergur Gíslason, one of the shop’s owners, in an interview with
mbl.is
.
“This never would have been uncovered if it weren’t for a citizen who emailed us. Someone who clearly has insight into this world. Police were able to use that email to unravel everything,”
Gíslason
says.
Full names and ID numbers in the email
“Nothing came of this in the beginning, even though we had surveillance footage and everything,” Gíslason explains.
“The investigation was closed and we assumed the case was dead, and the insurance company compensated us.”
But this week, the store received another email containing the full names and ID numbers of the thieves, along with information that the theft had been ordered. The thieves had received a bank transfer on the same day and split the money between them.
“I forwarded the email to the police, who then contacted the sender to confirm it wasn’t nonsense,”
Gíslason
says.
“That allowed them to obtain investigative warrants. Then they were able to move quickly, recover the items, and confirm that these two men were the ones who sold the cameras. It all happened within just a few hours of the theft, so the sequence of events was quite clear.”
Unhappy he can’t keep the cameras
The cameras, valued at ISK 3.2 million, were bought by the man for ISK 500,000. According to Bergur, he is unhappy that he cannot keep them.
Because the shop owners were reimbursed by their insurer, VÍS now owns the cameras. Bergur says he plans to negotiate a fair price with VÍS so the shop can buy them back.
The cameras are slightly scratched but otherwise intact—something Bergur finds remarkable, given that they were thrown loose into a backpack and carried around for some time.
“They survived that rough treatment, which I found pretty impressive,” he says.
No consequences for buying stolen goods
What
Gíslason
finds most troubling is that the buyer of the stolen equipment will face no consequences.
Asked whether he believes the buyer must have known he was purchasing stolen goods, Bergur says it should be obvious. He paid ISK 500,000 for equipment worth ISK 3.2 million. The bundle was, as previously noted, unboxed.
“The video we posted on Facebook got 30,000 views the first day,” he adds. The story also reached most major news outlets. “So the chances that this passed him by are slim.”
“Then he came into the store the next day to buy a battery for the camera and saw the display case smashed to pieces. So the odds that he’s completely innocent are not high.”
Police and prosecutors face heavy burdens
“This likely all comes down to burden of proof and what prosecutors think might actually lead to a conviction. The police and prosecution really have an incredibly difficult job here,”
Gíslason
continues.
“The evidentiary standards are enormous. It’s like in any other criminal case—there needs to be overwhelming evidence before there’s any chance of conviction.”
He adds that theft requires two parties. “As long as people are willing to buy stolen goods, others will steal.”
‘Even though they’re understaffed and overburdened’
Gíslason
says he is grateful both that the police didn’t give up and that the anonymous citizen felt compelled to send the email containing the thieves’ full names and ID numbers. The person did not ask for anything in return.
“The police never gave up. Even though they knew we had already been compensated, even though they’re understaffed and have far too much on their plates. I thought that was really admirable.”