Police build a case against denim hotpant-clad female Lego gang

Police build a case against denim hotpant-clad female Lego gang suspected of stealing two high-value sets of the highly sought-after toy bricks

• The trio were caught on CCTV in Broadstairs, Kent, after 5.30pm on September 2
• Lego sets can sell for a fortune with a Millennium Falcon costing around £700 
• Police didn’t reveal the Lego sets that were stolen, but said they were large ones 

Police are building a case against a gang of denim hotpant-clad women who are suspected of stealing hundreds of pounds worth of Lego. 

The trio were caught on CCTV in Broadstairs, Kent, after 5.30pm on September 2 this year when two large Lego sets were nicked from a store in the town. 

Lego sets can sell for a small fortune with a Millennium Falcon costing around £700 and a model of the Colosseum selling for nearly £500. 

Kent Police did not reveal the Lego sets that were stolen, but said they were large ones. 

The suspects were wearing denim hot pants, heavy false eyelashes and their hair in ponytails. 

CCTV images have been released by officers investigating the theft of high-value goods from a shop in Broadstairs at around 5.35pm on Friday September 2, 2022

Police would like to identify and speak to the three women as they may have information which could assist enquiries

Lego sets can sell for a small fortune with a Millennium Falcon costing around £700 and a model of the Colosseum selling for nearly £500

A spokesman said: ‘CCTV images have been released by officers investigating the theft of high-value goods from a shop in Broadstairs.

‘At around 5.35pm on Friday 2 September 2022, two large Lego sets were stolen from a commercial premises in a retail park in Margate Road.

‘Officers are now able to issue CCTV images of three women they would like to identify and speak to as they may have information which could assist enquiries.

‘Anyone with information about the theft or the identity of those pictured, should call Kent Police on 01843 222289 quoting 46/172744/22.

‘You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or complete the online form.’

It comes after a trio of thieves were banned from every B&M store in England and Wales after pleading guilty to stealing more than £4,000 worth of Lego from several stores. 

CCTV showed the men casually walking out of the store each with arms full of the Lego kits – which range anywhere from £15 to £75 – inside reusable shopping bags

The three stores the trio targeted and stole £4,000 worth of Lego. The men, who pleaded guilty to three counts of  theft were handed an 18-month suspended jail term and banned at all B&M stores across England and Wales for a year

Conlon McDonagh, Tom McDonagh, and Patrick Ward, all 22, raided B&M stores in Nottinghamshire over a two-day spree last week. 

A CCTV image shows the men casually walking out of one store each with arms full of the Lego kits – costing anywhere from £15 to £75 – inside reusable shopping bags.

A manhunt was launched after stores in Worksop, Mansfield and Netherfield were targeted on August 29 and August 30 – and over £4,000 worth of Lego sets taken.

The sets included Lego-branded Minecraft sets, Disney Princess castles, Ninjago boxed sets as well as other toys, including Mario-Kart and Sonic the Hedgehog playsets. 

The men were only caught when a police officer noticed their car brimming with toys on the A17 near Newark on Wednesday, August 31.

The trio were arrested and charged with three counts of theft, to which they pleaded guilty at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on September 2. 

French police also say they have started to build a case against an international gang of thieves that target toys after three people were arrested while stealing Lego.

A woman and two men, who were in the middle of stealing boxes of Lego from a shop in Yvelines, near Paris, were arrested in June 2020.

French police also say they have started to build a case against an international gang of thieves that target toys after three people were arrested while stealing Lego (stock image)

The three people, all from Poland, reportedly admitted to be part of a specialist international Lego stealing gang. 

Now, police in France are warning shops and parents to be on their guard, with some Lego sets being highly sought after by collectors.

The trio arrested in Paris aren’t the only case of Lego being targeted by thieves.

Stores in Victoria and New South Wales, Australia, were victims of thieves who had been targeting Lego sets and made off with almost £17,000 of the bricks.

Also in 2014, four people were arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, on suspicion of stealing Lego from a toy store.

Similar incidents were also recorded in 2017 when 2,000 sets bound for children’s hospitals and charities in the UK were taken and in 2018 when the home of a 20-year-old Lego enthusiast was targeted and most of his 14-year-old collection was taken.

A Lego specialist who advises online auctions on collectibles, Gerben van Ijken, said that sales of Lego have doubled on the French eBay.

He told The Guardian: ‘Investing in these pieces isn’t new but this niche market has reached new heights with the pandemic.

‘People have more time at home because of the health restrictions and the game market has exploded.’

Another reason for the explosion in Lego sales is that people over the last eight years have discovered the huge resale value of sets online, van Ijken said.

One example that he cited was a set that originally cost €150 in 2007 but has recently resold online for €2,500.

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