Published by Robert L Senior Reporter on Wednesday 2nd April 2025, at 13:45hrs
A bizarre late-night heist has ended with two men behind bars, and a large garden gorilla ornament back in its rightful place, after a bungled burglary at Darlington Indoor Market.
Brian Rumley, 50, and Michael O’Brien, 52, decided to add a touch of the jungle to their lives last Tuesday, March 25, by breaking into the market shortly after 11:30 pm. Their target? A £399 gorilla garden ornament, a prized possession of one of the market stalls.
Unfortunately for the would-be primate purloiners, their escapade was caught on camera. Eagle-eyed CCTV operators from Darlington Borough Council tracked their every move as they lugged the sizable simian through the town centre, eventually leading police straight to their door, a flat just off Skinnergate.
Upon arrival, officers discovered Rumley, O’Brien, and the stolen gorilla, all crammed into a bedroom. The duo were promptly arrested and charged with burglary.
The gorilla, thankfully, was unharmed and returned to its relieved owner.
In a victim impact statement read in court, the stall owner expressed his suspicion, noting a man had tried to haggle the price of the gorilla earlier in the day.
“It seems strange to me that the same day that the gorilla has been stolen, someone has shown a great deal of interest in trying to buy the item,” he said, adding that such thefts cause significant stress and financial loss.
At Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, March 27, both men pleaded guilty. Rumley, described as having “no fixed abode,” was sentenced to 16 weeks in jail.
O’Brien, of Arcadia Court, Darlington, received a three-month prison sentence, suspended for a year.
So, the next time you think about stealing a gorilla, remember, the CCTV cameras are watching, and the long arm of the law is not monkeying around.
G2K INCIDENT WATCH 