Raymond Scott was formally charged today - for theft and for with an alternative charge of handling stolen goods in relation to the Durham First Folio case. The hearing in Durham Crown Court lasted just fifteen minutes, and no date was set for his next court appearance (media reports say the case won't go to trial until next summer, however).
Scott maintains that he was given the book by a Cuban acquaintance of his girlfriend, and that it is not the Folio stolen from Durham University in 1998. The Northumberland Gazette adds that Scott answered "Aye, that I am" in response to queries from the judge. "He then gazed, with his head tipped back, at the ceiling lights as his lawyer discussed a date to fix his trial."
In Scott-fashion news, the AP reports that the suspect arrived at court "riding a horse-drawn carriage led by a Scots piper. He wore a kilt, and swigged from a bottle of malt whisky outside the court." The Gazette gets specific: their piece says Scott "faced a judge at Durham Crown Court dressed in a kilt of Royal Stewart tartan, a Harris tweed jacket, cravat and a pair of limited edition £1,000 Fendi sunglasses." And the piper played "Scotland the Brave." Naturally.
