Man who pretended to be mannequin so he could burgle shop after hours is jailed

A burglar who posed as a mannequin so he could plunder one of Europe’s biggest shopping centres has been jailed.

The 22-year-old, named only as Wojciech G., fooled staff at the Westfield complex in Warsaw, Poland, by standing still while holding up a handbag for hours one evening last October.

After workers locked up and left for the night, he sprung into action and went from store to store stealing jewellery, cash and clothes.

Wojciech’s wily ruse didn’t give him totally free reign of the mall, however – he still had to evade security guards.

CCTV footage shows him at one point vaulting over a sandwich shop counter before ducking down as one of the guards walked past.

Later, Wojciech could be seen hiding under a tarpaulin at a bar where he had stolen booze and more cash.

Local police say he also snuck into a clothing store and completely changed outfit.

He even helped himself to food at one of the restaurants at Westfield Arkadia, which is the largest shopping centre in central Europe.

But greed got the better of him – one of the guards caught the 22-year-old when he treated himself to a second meal.

The burglar was arrested but, after he was released on bail, went back to the shopping centre to attempt the same trick again.

Wojciech admitted charges of burglary and theft and was sentenced at Warsaw District Court to 16 months’ jail on Wednesday, according to local media.

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