Man's bid to sue aristocrat over da Vinci masterpiece dispute fails

A former lawyer's attempt to sue the Duke of Buccleuch for £4.25 million, following the return of a stolen painting, has failed.

Marshall Ronald claimed he was owed the money after Leonardo da Vinci's "Madonna of the Yarnwinder" was recovered in 2007.

It had been stolen from Drumlanrig Castle, near Thornhill, four years earlier.

But today (18 June) a Judge rejected the claim that he had brought against Richard Scott, the 10th Duke of Buccleuch.

The dispute was focused on whether the Duke gave authority to an undercover police officer, John Craig, to enter a contract with Mr Ronald to bring about the return of the painting.

Mr Ronald claimed a legal contract had been entered into, and was seeking to enforce it.

But the Judge said on the basis of the evidence there was no consensual agreement of that kind between the undercover officer and the Duke, meaning the officer didn't have the authority to offer a reward:

During the undercover police operation to recover the painting, contact was made between the officer and Mr Ronald.

An arrangement was made for the handover of the artwork at a Glasgow law firm's offices.

Mr Ronald, of Upholland, Lancashire, sent a message stating: "The Lady is coming home".

The painting was then handed over to Officer John Craig, and other officers moved in to make arrests, including Mr Ronald.

In 2010 Mr Ronald was cleared, along with others, of conspiring to extort money for the return of the painting, following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.

It was after this that he raised the civil action, attempting to sue the Duke, which has now failed.