Bookseller on trial for stealing rare Harry Potter book

An Italian bookseller is currently on trial, accused of stealing a rare edition of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

The Harry Potter book, worth £1,675 ($2,369), was stolen from a rare bookstore in London, England. 55-year-old, Rudolf Schonegger, is currently on trial for the alleged theft where he is accused of switching the signed first-edition of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire out with another novel.

Schonegger denies the charges of the theft at the Hatchards store in Piccadilly. He is also on trial for several other charges including the theft of other rare books and selling illegally obtained first edition novels.

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CCTV footage of the incident in question shows a man matching Schonegger’s description browsing the shop before removing the Harry Potter novel from the shelves and replacing it with another novel. CCTV footage shows the same individual in the store earlier making inquiries about the book.

Everyone knew about the Harry Potter book

Staff members at the Hatchards store have told how everyone knew about the rare edition of Harry Potter. It was proudly put up on display within the shop with a sticker advertising its four-figure price. It would have a big deal for the store if it had been sold so it is was not hard to miss when it had suddenly disappeared on the day and replaced with another novel.

(Photo by Graeme Robertson/Getty Images)

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Manager, Helen Mills, gave her account of the events in court during the trial:

"“I went to the till on the ground floor and started serving customers. A colleague passed by in a quieter moment when the queue had gone down and said, ‘Oh, have you sold the Harry Potter?’ We had a first edition of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on sale for £1,675, all the staff knew about it – it would have been a big thing for us to have sold it.”“It is rare for it to be signed by JK Rowling because she doesn’t sign too many.”“I turned around because we kept it behind the till and it wasn’t there and where it had been was another book by Angus Wilson called Late Call.”"

Next: How to tell if a Harry Potter book is a first edition?

The trial itself is still ongoing.

As for the Harry Potter book, it is still to be recovered.