A man jailed for burgling one of Damien Hirst’s studios was caught by police who traced the movements of his GPS-enabled ankle tag, a court has heard.
A man jailed for burgling one of Damien Hirst’s studios was caught by police who traced the movements of his GPS-enabled ankle tag, a court has heard.
Liam Middleton-Gomm, 36, broke into Thames Wharf Studios in west London on June 30 and stole about £5,130 of goods including electronic items, clothing and a pram. Middleton-Gomm, of no fixed abode, smashed the window beside a fire exit and reached in to activate its shutter and enter the building, prosecutor Paul Andrews told Kingston Crown Court on Thursday.
The burglar, who has dozens of previous convictions, attended the studio on two occasions that evening and went to his father’s property with some of the stolen goods, the court heard. It is understood Middleton-Gomm stole multiple leather jackets that were being embellished, as well as trousers, embroidered shirts, and a Dior pram with silver skulls on the wheels. Some of the property was sold on and has not been recovered.
His father, Leslie Gomm, 62, of Fulham, west London, previously pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods for his son’s benefit and was given a one-year conditional discharge on Thursday. He had been in custody for three-and-a-half months before his sentencing.
The prosecution said Middleton-Gomm visited his father’s property twice that evening but Gomm did not know the studio was being burgled.
Police charged the burglar after examining data from his GPS ankle tag and DNA at the scene, Mr Andrews told the court.
Judge Martyn Barklem sentenced Middleton-Gomm to 32 months in prison and said: “You were actually wearing a GPS tag that was part of your licence conditions when you were carrying out these offences.”
He added: “Your appalling previous record is of course a serious aggravating factor”.
The court heard Middleton-Gomm has 39 previous convictions involving 83 offences including multiple house burglaries.
Kathleen Mulhern, defending Middleton-Gomm, said her client had a “significant fall” in 2023 that caused injuries to his spine and pelvis and lasting pain that is treated by a “quite strong” painkiller.
Judge Barklem confirmed that the fall happened “while running away from police, resulting in a metal pole in his back”.
Middleton-Gomm, of no fixed abode, had pleaded guilty to two counts of burgling Hirst’s riverside studio.
He was also sentenced for two house burglaries on July 9 and July 17, as well as the attempted burglary of a property on July 9.
Bristol-born, Leeds-raised artist Hirst came to attention in 1988 when he was a student at Goldsmiths, University of London, where he conceived and curated the group exhibition Freeze.
Hirst’s best-known artwork includes a pickled shark, a rotting cow’s head and diamond-encrusted skull.
He won the Turner Prize in 1995 for his formaldehyde-preserved cow and calf, called Mother And Child, Divided.
Lord James Timpson, the minister for prisons, said in a statement released after the hearing: “Our GPS tags send a clear message to offenders: if you break the law, we’ll know where you’ve been and justice will come for you. This case proves just how effective tags can be and we’re increasing their use to punish offenders, prevent crime and make our streets safer.”
More than 22,000 offenders and defendants were wearing an electronic tag as of September 2025 – a record high.
The Government plans to tag thousands more criminals during the next three years as part of its reforms.
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