By Tim Binnall
By way of a helicopter cruising over his property, authorities in Australia busted a sticky-fingered ne'er-do-well who stole a sizeable gorilla statue that serves as something of a mascot for a retirement community. The weird case reportedly began back in June when Matthew Newbould stopped by the site to purchase some furniture from one of the residents. During the visit, he noticed the life-size gorilla statue, known affectionately as Garry, on the grounds of the retirement community and tossed the 45-pound piece in his truck before leaving the property.
The theft of the statue from the retirement community understandably caused considerable outrage, though Garry was thankfully not gone for very long as someone spotted Newbould cruising around with the faux gorilla and promptly reported the strange sighting to the police. Shortly thereafter, in a testament to the seriousness with which authorities treated the case, police actually flew a helicopter over the man's property, where the replica was seen stashed away in his backyard. After being taken into custody, Newbould role in the caper was confirmed when a search of his cell phone revealed a text message wherein he coldly remarked to a friend "LOL, I stole a gorilla, so what?"
At a court hearing last week, his attorney insisted that her client had simply made a very misguided spur-of-the-moment decision that he now deeply regrets. This was echoed by Newbould himself, who told the judge that "it was very silly" to have taken the piece. Although his attorney requested a sentence of community service or perhaps a small fine, the judge in the case demurred at the proverbial slap on the wrist since the defendant not only stole the statue, but he did so while driving without a license. Newbould's punishment for the crime will be handed down at another hearing set for later this month. As for Garry, no worse for wear from the wild misadventure, the beloved gorilla statue has since been returned to its home at the retirement community.