Book thief's jail sentence reduced

The central figure in a gang of thieves who plundered libraries from Auckland to Invercargill has had his jail term reduced from 5 1/2 years to three years.

The Court of Appeal said the Christchurch District Court judge should have given Lee John Simpson extra credit for the help he gave police in recovering books, 1700 of which had been found.

From 1995, the gang stole old and often rare books worth a total of $1 million.