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Man Pleads Guilty in Attack on Portrait of Samuel Johnson

A homeless man in London pleaded guilty yesterday to attacking a portrait of the 18th-century literary giant Samuel Johnson with a hammer, The Associated Press reported. Mark Paton, 44, was arrested on Wednesday after repeatedly hitting the $3.4 million portrait, by Joshua Reynolds, at the National Portrait Gallery. He admitted intent to cause criminal damage, though gave no explanation for the attack. “He has nothing against Sir Joshua Reynolds or Samuel Johnson,” said his defense lawyer, Euan MacMillan.
Read entire article at NYT