Four in court over da Vinci theft

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The Madonna With The Yarnwinder was taken from Drumlanrig Castle, near Thornhill in Dumfries and Galloway, in August 2003.

Police retrieved the 500-year-old artwork, which has been valued at between £15 million and £40 million, in a swoop on a solicitors' office in the centre of Glasgow on Thursday morning.

Four men were arrested and appeared in private on petition at Dumfries Sheriff Court.

Calum Jones, 52, from Kilmacolm in Renfrewshire, Robert Graham, 55, of Aughton, Ormskirk, Lancashire, John Doyle, 58, from Halsall, Ormskirk, and 51-year-old Marshall Ronald, of Upholland, Skelmersdale, Lancashire, were charged with conspiracy to rob and extort money.

All four made no plea or declaration at the private appearance before Sheriff Kenneth Barr.

They were committed for further examination and granted bail with special conditions.

The court appearance came after police leading the inquiry revealed that they had never given up hope of finding the masterpiece.

Detective Superintendent Brian Anderson, of Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary, said the discovery of the painting, and the arrests, were the result of a "prolonged and thorough investigation".

He revealed that 60 officers were involved in searches of premises in Glasgow and Lancashire at the height of Thursday's operation.