AN antiques dealer has been told he faces a substantial prison sentence despite being cleared of stealing a rare copy of Shakespeare's First Folio.
Raymond Scott, 53, has been found guilty of handling stolen goods and removing stolen property from the UK in relation to the book, which has been described as part of England's "cultural legacy".
The charges relate to one of the surviving copies
of the 1623 compendium of Shakespeare's plays which went missing from Durham University in 1998.
Experts say the folio, which once belonged to Bishop of Durham John Cosin, is one of the most important books not just in the history of literature, but in the English language.
It is estimated as being worth £994,130.
The 400-year-old book was handed in by Scott to the world-renowned Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC a decade later.
He claimed to have discovered it in Cuba and asked for it to be verified as genuine.
Following the verdict, Scott, of Manor Grange, Wingate, was remanded in custody by Judge Richard Lowden, who told him: "There will, in due time, be an inevitable substantial custodial sentence."
The judge adjourned the case to a date to be fixed to allow a psychiatric report to be prepared.
The court previously heard how Scott, a jobless book dealer who posed as a wealthy international playboy, "mutilated" the book by tearing off its binding and boards in an attempt to disguise that it was stolen property.
Jurors also heard how Scott had become infatuated with a young Cuban waitress and had been sending her money, leaving himself £90,000 in debt.
She was part of a trio, including Scott and retired Cuban Army commandant Deni Mareno Leon, planning to share the proceeds of the folio sale.
Scott, who the court heard has convictions for theft spanning two decades, claimed Leon entrusted him with the folio after inheriting it from his late mother.
A librarian at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Richard Kuhta, told the court of the moment he realised it was stolen.
Mr Kuhta said: "My heart sank. It was a feeling of sadness to think we were dealing with stolen property. The collections are what we live for, preserving them, building them, making them accessible.
"It is an emotional thing in our world, the loss and recovery of this precious material.
"This is one of the most important books not just in the history of literature, but in the English language."
Scott moved to Wingate after his arrest from Washington, near Sunderland.
