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  "path": "/news/banksy-identity-robin-gunningham-graffiti-arrest-record",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-17T13:11:35.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Iran threatens to bomb news network and jam satellite signals in 'alarming' attack on free speech",
    "Kemi Badenoch calls Guardian article 'disgusting' after claim Gail’s bakery opening was 'aggression'",
    "BBC told to reveal licence fee spending on Donald Trump lawsuit as corporation rejects $10bn claim",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
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  "textContent": "\n\n\nThe true identity of the infamous and elusive street artist Banksy has been revealed after decades-old arrest records were unearthed.\n\nInvestigators discovered a handwritten confession signed during a 2000 arrest in New York, when the artist was detained for vandalising a Marc Jacobs billboard during Fashion Week.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nPolice records and court documents from the incident list the name Robin Gunningham, who investigators now believe is the man behind Banksy.\n\nMr Gunningham, a 51-year-old from Bristol, was first linked to the artist in 2008 - an accusation his management denied at the time.\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nFollowing the recent disclosures, Banksy's company, Pest Control, stated the artist \"has decided to say nothing\".\n\nThe arrest occurred when the street artist targeted the billboard atop a brownstone building on Hudson Street in Manhattan bearing the slogan \"Boys Love Marc Jacobs\".\n\nSteve Lazarides, the photographer who formerly managed Banksy, recounted that the artist altered the billboard by adding \"goofy teeth\" to the model and drawing a speech bubble.\n\nHe was apprehended by the police before completing the work.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nIn his written confession, Banksy described the act as \"a humorous adjustment\" made after a night drinking at a club with friends.\n\nHe posted bail of $1,500, with felony charges reduced to a misdemeanour, ultimately paying a $310 fine and completing five days of community service.\n\nThe investigation further alleges that Mr Gunningham legally changed his name to David Jones in 2008, selecting one of Britain's most common names to remain inconspicuous on official documents.\n\nThis adopted identity reportedly enabled him to travel internationally without detection, including to Ukraine, where Banksy created murals during the conflict.\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * Iran threatens to bomb news network and jam satellite signals in 'alarming' attack on free speech\n  * Kemi Badenoch calls Guardian article 'disgusting' after claim Gail’s bakery opening was 'aggression'\n  * BBC told to reveal licence fee spending on Donald Trump lawsuit as corporation rejects $10bn claim\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nResearchers claim the artist entered Ukraine alongside Robert Del Naja, the Massive Attack frontman long rumoured to be Banksy, given his own graffiti background and activism.\n\nBoth men apparently departed Ukraine on the same day in October 2022.\n\nBanksy's lawyer Mark Stephens disputed the investigation's findings, telling Reuters that his client \"does not accept that many of the details contained within your enquiry are correct\".\n\nThe legal representative cautioned that publishing the report could jeopardise the artist's safety, noting Banksy had been \"subjected to fixated, threatening and extremist behaviour\".\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nMr Stephens argued that working under a pseudonym \"serves vital societal interests\".\n\nHe said it enables creators to challenge authority \"without fear of retaliation, censorship or persecution – particularly when addressing sensitive issues such as politics, religion or social justice\".\n\nThe lawyer neither confirmed nor denied his client's identity.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards:The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Banksy's true identity finally revealed after arrest record unearthed"
}