A police report in New York has formally revealed the identity of the English street artist Banksy as 51-year-old Robin Gunningham from Bristol, England. The disclosure followed an investigation by Reuters that examined previously undisclosed US court records and police documents. Among these was a handwritten confession to a past misdemeanour charge of disorderly conduct, which provided definitive evidence of the artist's identity. The investigation also included a review of photographic material of the artist, most of which obscured his face but contained identifying information.
Banksy's company, Pest Control, stated that the artist had chosen not to comment on the findings. His long-time lawyer, Mark Stephens, disputed the accuracy of several details presented in the investigation, asserting that Banksy did not accept the correctness of many of the claims. Despite these denials, the investigation concluded that the public interest in the identity of a figure with significant influence on culture, the art industry, and political discourse justified the disclosure.
The artwork in question, a stencil depicting a judge in robes bashing an unarmed protester with a gavel, was painted on the exterior wall of London's Royal Courts of Justice. The mural appeared on September 7, 2026, the day before the government designated the pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation. The piece was removed by power washing, leaving a residual image. The Metropolitan Police confirmed an investigation into criminal damage, which remained ongoing as of December 2026. The Ministry of Justice reported spending £23,690 ($44,621) on removal by that date.