2 UK men admit stealing Henry Moore sculpture

The Associated Press, Monday, November 12, 2012, 11:56am (PST)

LONDON (AP) — Two men have pleaded guilty in a British court to stealing a bronze Henry Moore sculpture worth up to 500,000 pounds ($793,800).

"The Sundial," created in 1965 as a working model for a larger sculpture, was stolen from the grounds of the Henry Moore Foundation in Much Hadham, eastern England, in July.

The distinctive bronze sculpture was found following a televised appeal for information.

Liam Hughes, 22, and 19-year-old Jason Parker admitted Monday at St. Albans Crown Court to stealing the sundial sculpture and the sculpture's bronze plinth.

They were granted bail and are to reappear at Luton Crown Court on December 4 for sentencing.

Moore, who died in 1986, was one of Britain's best-known 20th-century artists.