CCTV captures bizarre theft of life-size ornament as cops troll crooks with drumming gorilla soundtrack

CCTV footage (click to play above) caught the thieving pair arguing over a gorilla statue, moments before they pinched it from a market stall.

One is heard saying: “There’s nee gorilla here, man,” as they plan to steal the £399 sculpture.

The other replies: “That shop there!” After a brief back-and-forth, one of them is seen dashing out of the market clutching the gorilla gnome in his arms.

CCTV operators tracked Brian Rumley, 50, and Michael O’Brien, 52, as they carried the gorilla through Darlington town centre to a flat just off Skinnergate in the County Durham town.

The team alerted police who raided the property where they found the pair with the stolen gorilla in a bedroom.

Bodycam footage shows the pair supping beer and smoking as the officers enter the flat while a woman is heard shouting, “I don’t know what’s going on!”

Eventually officers calm the thieves down and handcuff them before seizing the gorilla.

Rumley and O’Brien were arrested and taken to police custody where they were later charged with burglary.

The gorilla was also recovered and has been returned to its rightful owner.

The duo admitted burglary at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (Mar 27).

Rumley, 50, of no fixed abode, was jailed for 16 weeks while 52-year-old O’Brien, of Arcadia Court, Darlington, was jailed for three months, suspended for a year.

In a victim impact statement, the business owner said that earlier that day, a man had attended the stall and tried to haggle the price of the gorilla down.

He said: “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.

“When items of this price are stolen it causes a massive loss to the business.

“A lot of stress and anxiety builds up as a result of these incidents and can lead to a great sense of mistrust.”

Following the sentencing, Durham Police released footage of the raid and the recovery of the gorilla accompanied by the Phil Collins track 'In The Air Tonight'.

The song became famous as the track of the iconic Cadbury's TV advert which aired in 2007 which featured a drumming gorilla.

Watch the video above.