Real-life cat burglar: Boxer shorts, slippers, thong and a dozen pairs of socks all among haul stolen by pet 'Denis the Menace'

By EMMA CLARK

Cheeky cat Denis, now known as Denis the Menace to his neighbours, with his haul of stolen goods

A mischievous pet has become infamous throughout his neighbourhood as ‘Denis the Menace’ after stealing more than one hundred garments from his nearby homes and gardens.
The real-life cat burglar has a weakness for pinching and has swiped all manner of items, which he takes home to his embarrassed owner Lesley Newman, aged 49.
Over an 18 month crime spree Denis’s haul includes a bath towel, a thong, a football, five paintbrushes, a pair of slippers, an designer shirt, a doll and gloves.

CCTV footage captures Denis carrying a bike helmet bag in his mouth on to the family's driveway

He has taken men’s boxer shorts, a pair of shoes, a cardigan, a dog chew, dozens of pairs of socks, a chamois leather, tea towels, seven car sponges and a cuddly toy.
Victims of the two-year-old black and white cat’s antics often turn up at Mrs Newman’s home in Luton, Bedfordshire, when their belongings go missing.
The first theft was recorded just a week after he was let out of the house for the first time, with his stolen stash growing week on week until he began carrying home T-shirts in his mouth, often having to jump over garden fences along the way.

On another occasion he is caught on camera with a hand towel between his teeth

His largest prize to date is a bath towel which he dragged through the streets and his most expensive is a Fred Perry polo short.
On one occasion he retrieved a woman’s sandal from a garden in a neighbouring road - and returned a week later to pinch the other one.
Many of the items have fallen off washing lines as they often have clothes pegs still attached.

Denis also works at night, pictured in the dark pushing his loot through the cat flap and taking it up to Mrs Newman in bed

Denis's crime spree started just a week after he was allowed out of the house for the first time, regularly carrying home items like pants and t-shirts in his mouth



source: dailymail