A daring rooftop raid at Oxford's Ashmolean Museum inspired an Oxford graduate to write a book about the history of crime in Oxford.

It was New Year's Eve, 1999, when the thieves struck, stealing in over the rooftops to take a £3m Cezanne, which has never been recovered.

Dr Giles Brindley was so fascinated by the audacious crime he decided to write his own book about the history of dark deeds in the city.

Oxford: Crime, Death and Debauchery took four years of research and writing and is now being published.

Featuring more than 300 stories of infamous misdeeds and scandalous behaviour, the book includes duelling, sex, murder, gaol breaks, rioting, death, robbery, suicide, drinking, tension between town and gown, infanticide, gambling, fraud and executions.

Dr Brindley, 32, who lives off Abingdon Road, said: "No existing book on Oxford considers this in such a complete fashion with cases ranging from the 12th to the 20th century.

"It weaves macabre accounts into an entertaining criminal history accessible to all.

"In the end, I didn't write about the Ashmolean break-in because my book didn't extend that far forward into the 20th century.

"But the theft made me think that there would be a huge variety of different crimes committed over the centuries and I thought the subject would make a fascinating book.

"I spent a lot of time in libraries and the public records office in London for the research, and I'll probably never want to read another book about Oxford again, but I think it has been worth it."

Dr Brindley has now started conducting crime-themed walking tours of the city, with one of the events promoting Helen and Douglas House hospice.

Dr Brindley studied chemistry at Nottingham University before completing a doctorate at Oxford University. He worked for the university managing research groups before joining an Abingdon software company.

His book is illustrated with engravings, drawings, photographs, press clippings, court proceedings and maps that help to paint a picture of historic Oxford's seedier side.

Carl Boardman, county archivist, also looks at Oxfordshire's dark side in Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths Around Oxfordshire, published by Wharncliffe Books, price £9.99.