Louvre director acknowledges ‘terrible failure’ after €88m jewel heist

Laurence des Cars questioned by senators about daring daytime break-in at Paris museum

The director of the Louvre museum in Paris has acknowledged a terrible failure" days after thieves took seven minutes to break in via a window and steal jewels worth 88m, admitting there was highly insufficient" security camera coverage of the outside walls of the vast building.

Laurence des Cars was grilled by senators about the spectacular heist in which four men used a truck with extendable ladder and furniture hoist to access a balcony, cut through a window and steal jewels from the ornate Apollo gallery during opening hours.