A man stole a beloved gorilla from old people: they searched for it from helicopters (5 photos + 1 video)
The villagers greeted Harry in the morning, but by the afternoon they had not found him on his usual stumps. The kidnapper of the 20-kilogram local favorite described his crime as a "very stupid" mistake. 
A local resident noticed that Harry had disappeared. The elderly people greeted him in the morning as usual, but by the afternoon the gorilla had disappeared without a trace. 
Police helicopter pilots found the statue after an "extensive investigation". Harry was hidden in a backyard. 
Earlier in Scotland, a 2.4-metre gorilla statue named Gary was stolen. However, police said they could not confirm a link between the two cases.
"No chance. No connection with Gorilla Gary in Scotland," the department assured. 
Later, the police reported that Harry was returned to the residents of the village for the elderly. Law enforcement officers emphasized that this united many residents who "missed him very much."
"Welcome back, Harry, you were missed," the press service noted. 
On August 30, Matthew Newbould pleaded guilty to kidnapping 20-kilogram Harry. The man said he made a "very stupid" mistake.
Newbould was in the village with a friend when he saw Harry. The replica of the gorilla was sitting on stumps, and the thief decided to take it with him. He put the statue in the back of the car.
The thief was turned in by a random passerby who took a photo of the gorilla in the car. The police later received this photo. On July 5, law enforcement officers broke into Newbould's home, conducted a search and detained him. Text messages about Harry's abduction were found on his phone.
"Lol, I stole a gorilla, so what?" one of them said.
Newbould's lawyer said the decision to take the statue was sudden and he had no plans to sell it.
"It was really stupid," the thief admitted.
He is scheduled to be sentenced in September.
