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Football players disciplined after stealing Perth statue dressed as Jesus and elves on boozy night out

An amateur football club has agreed to compensate a Perth restaurant boss after it admitted some of its players – including one dressed as Jesus – were involved in the brazen theft of a £500 statue.

CCTV footage shows a group of men dressed as elves and snowmen dragging a 80lb Italian chef sculpture from its base outside CriDo’s in the city centre.

The statue stolen from Perth.

The statue, named Geovani, was beheaded and its remains found the next day on a street in Stonehaven, some 70 miles away.

The Cowie players before the night out.

A football club in the north-east of Scotland has confessed to The Courier its players were involved in the mayhem.

A spokesman for Cowie Thistle AFC said: “I’ve spoken to the owner (of CriDo’s) and the club has agreed to pay for the damages.

“I personally wasn’t there and we’re very disappointed.”

The statue is carried through Perth.
The broken statue in Stonehaven.

He said: “The player/players involved will make a charitable donation as a disciplinary measure but as far as were concerned the matter is now closed.”


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Owner Christian Cojocaru has said he was “happy” that the club had agreed to pay him for the stolen statue.

He will discuss with the team’s treasurer a possible payment to a local charity.

Members of the club were in Perth for a drink-fuelled Christmas day out.

Restaurant manager Marius Pascalau
Geovani outside the restaurant in happier times.

Residents said they had spotted the distinctive group – featuring at least one “Jesus” in beard and flowing white robes – in various pubs around the city centre.

Geovani was snatched at about 7.30pm and the theft was recorded on CCTV.

Mr Cojocaru later received a photograph of the remains of the statue, dumped on Westfield Road, Stonehaven. Another image on social media shows Geovani’s head, lying on a pavement.

Police Scotland issued an appeal for witnesses.

A spokesman said: “We are investigating the theft of a life-sized wooden statue of a chef from outside a restaurant in St John’s Place, Perth, between 6pm and 7.30pm on Saturday.

“The statue was carried off by members of a group who appeared to be in fancy dress, with a person wearing a red and green elf outfit seen to be carrying it.”

He said: “While they may have thought it was a prank, this is still theft and is being dealt with as such. CCTV in Perth city centre is being reviewed to trace the movements of the group.”