3 sentenced to prison in theft of ‘Scream’

OSLO —  Three men who worked together to steal Edvard Munch’s masterpieces “The Scream” and “Madonna” were sentenced Monday to prison for their roles in the brazen daylight heist carried out by masked gunmen. Both paintings were recovered but had been damaged.

One of the gunmen, the getaway driver and the mastermind of the 2004 theft at Oslo’s Munch Museum were convicted in late March. The second suspected gunman died in November before charges could be filed.

Two years after the theft, police recovered the paintings, which were scraped and punctured. The museum is considering using an eye surgeon to remove glass shards embedded in the canvas after the frames were broken.

There are four versions of “The Scream,” probably the Norwegian artist’s best-known work. The image has become an icon of modern human anxiety.

Petter Tharaldsen, 35, was sentenced to 9 1/2 years in prison for driving the getaway car. His term also included a sentence for an unrelated robbery.

Bjorn Hoen, 39, convicted of masterminding the theft, was sentenced to nine years for grand theft. Tharaldsen and Hoen were also convicted of being part of an organized crime group. Stian Skjold, 31, was sentenced to 5 1/2 years as one of the two gunmen who raided the Munch Museum.

The three defendants were also ordered to pay a total of $263,000 in compensation to Oslo, which owns the paintings.

A lawyer for Skjold said he would appeal the sentence.