Case closed on theft of Michael Jackson sound engineer’s computer in Ixelles

An investigation into the theft of Michael Jackson's sound engineer's computer in Ixelles has been closed without further action.

The Brussels public prosecutor's office decided to close the case on the January theft of Brad Sundberg’s computer, RTBF reports.

The stolen laptop contained unreleased songs by Michael Jackson along with personal videos of the artist during several recording sessions.

The thief, who promptly posted this content on the internet, will not face any further legal action, much to Sundberg's dismay.

Sundberg is an American engineer who had worked with Michael Jackson since 1985 and on several projects, including the best-selling albums Bad, Dangerous, HIStory and Blood on the Dancefloor.

The long professional collaboration enabled Sundberg to collect dozens and dozens of memories of Jackson, which he has been sharing since the artist’s death in 2009.

Sundberg has also shared these memories at paid conferences and seminars around the world, meaning the theft has resulted in a loss of income for the sound engineer.

It was for one of these seminars that Sundberg was in Brussels in January this year. On the first of the three days, a guest stole Sundberg's computer before fleeing over the roofs of the building. Sundberg called it “a targeted attack” and lodged a complaint.

“We know who did it,” he said. “We're doing everything we can to resolve things. It's frustrating – 99% of our seminar guests are fantastic people. But unfortunately, things like this can happen.”

The computer was returned the very next day with all of its contents still there, but the perpetrator – who remains at large – flooded social media with copies of the files and criticised Sundberg for making money from his relationship with Jackson.