In a brazen theft that combined old-fashioned brutality with high-tech gadgetry, two armed men broke into the home of an elderly art-dealing vicar in northern Ireland on January 3. The pair beat their victim and left him bound and gagged while they perused his art collection for possibilities. The thieves sent videos of the vicar's art and furniture to a knowledgeable accomplica via iPhone, who then told them what to steal and what to ignore. The total value of the heist has not yet been calculated, but it is estimated at several million dollars.

Still fearing for his safety, the retired vicar has asked the Irish Daily Mirror not to identify him. The two thieves, who had Irish accents, were gratuitously violent, and used a hatchet to destroy the artworks they declined to steal. They also took the dealer's address book, which contained the names of several wealthy clients, including members of the Guinness family (stewards of the eponymous beer, among other accomplishments). The vicar has warned his contacts to heighten the security of their own collections for fear of a second strike. 

The burglars made off with antique furniture, collectibles, and paintings, including works by the 18th-century Venetian painter Canaletto. "This robbery was well-planned and ruthlessly executed," a source told the Daily Mirror. "They waited and then they struck and they have left an old man battered, terrified, and ill with worry." The Police Service of Northern Ireland is working with An Garda Siochana (Ireland's national police force) on the case.