A 36-year-old man from East Acton who removed his court-issued electronic tag to avoid being caught after stealing customised jackets designed by renowned British artist Damien Hirst has been jailed for two years and eight months.
Liam Middleton-Gomm of Cactus Walk, broke into an art studio on Rainville Road, Hammersmith, on 30 June 2025 and took a number of high-value artworks, including the distinctive Hirst-designed jackets. The burglary triggered an investigation by the Metropolitan Police after staff discovered the premises had been broken into and several bespoke pieces were missing.
After the break-in, Middleton-Gomm travelled to the home of his father, Leslie Gomm, in Hammersmith, where he stayed in the days that followed. During the investigation, police recovered photographs of some of the stolen items on Leslie Gomm’s phone. Officers also uncovered Google searches carried out shortly after the burglary using terms such as “Damien Hirst” and “leather jackets”.
A crucial piece of evidence came from the electronic tag Middleton-Gomm was wearing under a court order. Modern tags include GPS tracking, and data retrieved from the device showed that he was at the Hammersmith premises at the time of the burglary. Realising this technology could place him at the scene, Middleton-Gomm removed the tag and went on the run.
He was eventually arrested on 23 August 2025 and charged two days later with burglary and attempted burglary. He pleaded guilty to burglary at Wimbledon magistrates court on 17 October 2025.
At Kingston crown court last Thursday (30 October 2025), Middleton-Gomm was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison. His father, Leslie Gomm, 61, was handed a one-year conditional discharge for handling stolen goods after pleading guilty at Westminster magistrates court.
PC Max Aldred, who led the investigation, said: “As soon as Liam Middleton-Gomm knew police were looking for him, he cut off his tag and went on the run – he knew officers would be able to pin him to the location of the crime.”
Lord Timpson, the minister for prisons and probation, said the case showed how GPS tagging “makes our streets safer” by ensuring offenders “have fewer places to hide”.
