Court Appearances for Two Charged in HBP Stolen Book Case

The two men who were arrested in connection with the stolen copies of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince case appeared in court today. These two men are accussed of trying to sell stolen copies of Book 6 to a reporter named John Askill who works for the tabloid The Sun. One of the accused, a 19 year old man, was given bail, due to return to court later this fall. This BBC article says the man “who will appear before Northampton Crown Court in October, is accused of possessing an imitation firearm, a replica handgun with intent to cause Mr Askill to fear unlawful violence. He is also charged with stealing two copies of the book from a distribution centre in Corby.”
The other man charged in connection with the incident, a 37 year old man, has to return in two weeks to court. “Justices were told witness statements relating to Mr Brown’s alleged part in the case had not been prepared. He faces one count of handling the stolen books – Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince – and one of possession of an offensive weapon.”

The two stolen copies of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince were recovered by police. Author JK Rowling also has an injunction in place that will prohibit any leaks of information about the book, which is due to be released on July 16th.