<text>  Betrayed: Controversial critic Brian Sewell revealed once-trusted friends have stolen his paintings . He has built an impressive art collection over a decades-long career as Britains most-feared critic. But now Brian Sewell has revealed that some of the works he has accumulated have gone missing stolen by once-trusted friends. It is surprising how unpleasant people can be, he tells Event magazine today. How untrustworthy friends can become. How somebody you think you can absolutely depend on will do something so mean that it astonishes you. None of Mr Sewells light-fingered visitors are likely to face justice since he has decided to not report the matter to police. The critic, who is suffering from cancer, refuses to identify those he holds responsible for betraying him but makes it abundantly clear that he knows who they are. The thefts have occurred over the past ten years and came to light recently when he started sorting through his belongings, bagging up old clothes for charity and consigning other unwanted items to the bonfire. Friends and acquaintances visiting his home in Wimbledon, South London, have made off with paintings and drawings, he says, and, when challenged, have denied all knowledge. However, Sewell has confessed that he occasionally indulged in similar behaviour himself when visiting friends homes though on a much smaller scale. He said: I have stolen the odd book myself. I have a theory that only men steal books, although when I proposed that to a woman a month or two ago she was absolutely outraged. Its not really books Im worrying about its small paintings and drawings which quietly disappear. You dont know when they disappear but, when you think about it, its only... when people have been to the house. This is betrayal. It makes me so angry and helpless because you cant do anything about it. Sewell, whose trenchant views once led to leading figures in the art world demanding his dismissal as the Evening Standards art critic, also speaks with some reluctance about his illness. I have stolen the odd book myself, the critic said. Its not really books Im worrying about its small paintings and drawings which quietly disappear. Its only... when people have been to the house I think a serene death with my dogs on the bed would be wonderful, he said. It may still happen. I really dont know. The 84-year-old has admitted to disliking children but loving animals ironically as his latest book is aimed at youngsters. The White Umbrella, which has just been published, is about a wounded donkey found by a TV crew visiting Pakistan and he says he wrote it as a distraction from his radiotherapy. Last night he said he had confronted the friends he suspected of robbing him but had failed to get any of the missing artworks back. I have always done it face-to-face and I now know it isnt worth doing because it simply gets worse the lies dont help. 