[CPProt.net] Canadian teen charged with Acropolis marble theft

[Museum Security Network / Cultural Property Protection Net (Ton Cremers)]

Canadian teen charged with Acropolis marble theft
CTV.ca News Staff

A teenager from British Columbia has been charged with theft after being
arrested on suspicion of stealing a piece of marble from the Parthenon.

Madelaine Gierc, 16, of Duncan, B.C., was arrested Sunday by police at the
Acropolis -- the site of the Parthenon -- after officials said they saw the
girl allegedly remove a stone from the ancient temple.

She was charged with illegally possessing antiquities. Gierc has been set
free until a court date is set for her trial.

That date has not been set yet.

The girl is on a school trip to Greece with 34 other Canadian teenagers. She
is going to meet her father, Tom Gierc, who flew into Athens on Tuesday.

Her mother, Lael Gierc, told The Associated Press that her daughter only
picked up the rock to use as a prop in a picture.

Greece has strict laws about its antiquities. They prohibit the owning,
buying, selling and excavating of antiquities without a special permit.

The Acropolis hilltop, the site of several ancient temples, is heavily
guarded. Pollution has eroded the 2,500-year-old Parthenon, and officials
are extremely protective of what remains. 

If the B.C. teen is convicted of possessing illegal antiquities, she faces a
maximum of 10 years in prison. However, such severe sentences are rarely
handed out.

With files from The Associated Press

http://www.ctv.ca/