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John Lennon's stolen diaries recovered in Berlin

A 58-year-old man has been arrested

Roisin O'Connor
Music Correspondent
Thursday 23 November 2017 05:17 EST
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(Getty Images
(Getty Images (Getty Images)

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Diaries written by John Lennon are among hundreds of items belonging to The Beatles icon to be found by police in Berlin, Germany.

The collection of items were stolen from Lennon's widow Yoko Ono in 2006. According to the BBC, German media reported that Ono identified them from photos shown to her at the German consulate in New York.

Many of the items were confiscated after being discovered at a Berlin auction house, sparking a police hunt for the rest of the stolen goods.

John Lennon's glasses
John Lennon's glasses (AP)

A 58-year-old man has been arrested, according to police, while a second suspect - who used to work for Ono - is "unattainable at the present time".

Martin Steltner, a spokesman for the Berlin prosecutors office, said it was not clear when the recovered items could be returned to Lennon's estate.

The diaries are on display at Berlin police headquarters with two pairs of his iconic round spectacles, a recording of a Beatles concert on tape, sheet music, and a cigarette case.

Beatles memorabilia often fetches huge prices at auction. In February this year, a leather jacket believed to have been worn by Lennon, sold for £10,400, while in September, a handwritten, original score for "Eleanor Rigby" was removed from auction over claims it had been stolen. It was set to be sold with a guide price of £20,000.

In 2011, one of Lennon's molars sold for £19.500 to a Canadian cosmetic dentist.

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