Alleged 'blackmailer' of 'Prince' Charles has been assassinated
banana
regard to stolen items of the latter's correspondence with Camilla
Parker-Bowles, was assassinated in northern Italy yesterday with a
single shot to the head.
(A few months after the assassination of Princess Diana, it was reported
that the British embassy in Rome was negotiating with Rinino with regard
to the return of some items:
<http://www.expressindia.com/ie/daily/19971113/31750693.html>)
From the 'Scotsman':
<http://www.news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2046605>:
***BEGIN ARTICLE 1***
‘Prince of Thieves’ Cat Burglar Shot Dead
By Louise Gray, PA News
A burglar known as the “prince of thieves” after robbing the Prince of
Wales, was shot dead at his home in Italy today.
Renato Rinino stole jewellery from St James’s Palace while on holiday in
London in 1994.
He was killed with a single shot to the head at his home in Savona,
northern Italy.
Italian police said a gunman knocked on the door of the home Rinino
shared with his mother and brother and then shot the 41-year-old in his
room.
He was pronounced dead a short time later and his brother was also
injured. No motive was reported for the killing.
Almost six years ago, the cat burglar confessed to robbing the Prince of
Wales, after waiting until he could no longer be prosecuted under an
Italian law which puts a time limit on bringing charges.
The thief, also dubbed “the Riviera jewel thief”, originally claimed to
have stolen private correspondence from Camilla Parker Bowles to Charles
– although St James’s Palace has always denied any letters were missing.
Rinino had offered to hand back the property and never reveal the
content of the supposed letters for a price – and on condition he could
meet Charles in person.
He said he wanted to use the money to end a life of crime and open his
own pizzeria.
But it is understood his wish was never granted and the stolen items
including tie pins, gold buttons, watches, cufflinks and silver boxes
were returned after Italian authorities recovered the valuables from
Rinino’s kitchen. Rinino was reportedly serving a jail term for an
unrelated apartment theft at the time of the raid.
The self-confessed career criminal said he carried out the royal
burglary while on holiday in London. He climbed scaffolding at the back
of the palace while security officers were distracted by a hang-glider
and forced a window in order to steal the jewels. The burglar said he
only realised he had robbed a prince when he saw the newspapers the next
day.
Italian police said on Friday, two days before he was killed, Rinino had
another run-in with the law. It is understood he was sentenced to house
arrest under a plea bargain agreement for having violated his parole for
a previous crime that had required him to remain in Savona.
***END ARTICLE 1***
From the 'Daily Mirror' ['theif' spelling error uncorrected]:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/content_objectid=13507999_method=fu
ll_siteid=50143_headline=--Mafia--kill-Charles--gem-thief-name_page.html
or click:
<http://tinyurl.com/qpqf>:
***BEGIN ARTICLE 2***
'MAFIA' KILL CHARLES' GEM THEIF Oct 13 2003
From Jeremy Charles In Rome
AN international cat burglar who boasted of stealing gems from Prince
Charles was killed yesterday in a Mafia-style hit.
Renato Rinino, 41, was shot in front of his mother and brother after a
masked gunman knocked at the door of his home in Italy.
Rinino made headlines in 1994 when he climbed scaffolding outside St
James' Palace in London and stole jewels worth £50,000 from the prince's
apartments.
He was eventually put on trial after fleeing back to Savona, but the
case was dropped earlier this year because so much time had elapsed.
Rinino, who had spent 12 years of his life in jail, was due to began
another 18-month sentence for breaching bail conditions.
An Italian police spokesman said: "We believe he was executed by the
local underworld."
Rinino liked to see himself as a Raffles-style gentleman crook. But
locals said he was better known to them as Renato, the chicken thief.
***END ARTICLE 2***
From:
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1061797,00.html>:
***BEGIN ARTICLE 3***
St James's Palace cat burglar is shot dead
Philip Willan in Rome
Monday October 13, 2003
The Guardian
An Italian cat burglar whose most spectacular theft took place in St
James's Palace in London was shot dead yesterday at his home in north-
west Italy, in an apparent gangland killing.
Renato Rinino, 41, was killed by a single shot to the head as he lay in
bed in the morning. His brother, Paolo, who opened the door of their
Savona apartment to the lone gunman, was shot in the chest and elbow.
In February 1994 Mr Rinino stole £50,000-worth of jewellery from Prince
Charles's private residence after climbing up scaffolding and forcing a
window. The prince was on a skiing holiday in Switzerland at the time,
while builders renovated his apartment.
Mr Rinino said he only realised the identity of his victim when he saw a
photo of the prince on a desk.
His haul included five gold tie-pins, eight pairs of cuff-links, two
silver boxes, and gold watches. According to his own account, Mr Rinino
also took private letters between the prince and Camilla Parker-Bowles,
which have never been recovered. He said he used toothpaste tubes to
smuggle the loot to Italy.
He waited three years, until the crime was covered by a statute of
limitations under Italian law, before boasting to the press of his
exploit. The valuables were returned in 1998.
A flamboyant character, Mr Rinino continued to have problems with the
law, spending several spells in prison for theft. On Saturday he was
sentenced to eight months' imprisonment for failing to respect a
magistrate's order not to leave the city of Savona. He had been arrested
on Friday night as he dined with friends in a Genoa restaurant.
Investigators do not suspect a delayed vendetta on the part of the royal
family.
Vincenzo Scolastico, Savona's chief public prosecutor, said that initial
inquiries were focusing on members of the local underworld.
***END ARTICLE 3***
From the 'Daily Telegraph':
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/10/13/wthief13
.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/10/13/ixworld.html
or click: <http://tinyurl.com/qpr2>:
***BEGIN ARTICLE 4***
Gunman kills St James's Palace jewel thief
By Catriona Davies
(Filed: 13/10/2003)
A thief who broke into St James's Palace nine years ago has been shot
dead at his home in Italy.
Renato Rinino, 41, who was on holiday in London when he broke into the
Palace and stole jewellery from Prince Charles in 1994, was killed early
yesterday in the house he shared with his brother and mother in Savona,
north-west Italy.
Rinino's brother Paulo was shot and injured when he answered the door.
The gunman then shot Rinino in the head. Police said they were not aware
of a motive.
Rinino, known as the "prince of thieves", briefly gained notoriety after
he stole items including tie pins, gold buttons, watches, cufflinks and
silver boxes from St James's Palace, which was not occupied at the time.
When he realised he had robbed a Royal palace, Rinino claimed to have
stolen private correspondence although St James's Palace denied any
letters were missing.
Rinino offered to return them for a price on condition that he could
meet Prince Charles. He said he would give up crime and use the money to
open a pizzeria. His wish was never granted and the stolen jewellery was
recovered from his home.
***END ARTICLE 4***
--
banana "You know what I hate the most about you Rowntree? The way
you give Coca-Cola to your scum, your best teddy-bear to
Oxfam, then expect us to lick your cold frigid fingers for the
rest of your cold frigid life." (Mick Travis, 'If...', 1968)
Susan Cohen
years old.
SusanC
[snip insanity]
eyes only
---
smoke me a kipper I'll be back for breakfast!!