Thief inspired by Netflix show Lupin caught in the act

A MAN who robbed a church in northern Italy claimed he had been inspired by the fictional deeds of the master thief in the hit French Netflix series Lupin.

He donned a black leather jacket, just like the character Assane Diop in the television series, and used the sound of pealing bells to cover the noise of smashing a window in a church that he set out to rob.

But the 21-year-old Italian met with rather less success than his on-screen hero, managing to pocket just a handful of euros as well as bottles of fizzy orange, lemon and grapefruit juice. Worse than that, he got caught – after smashing the window of the San Giuseppe oratory in the town of Besana in Brianza in the northern region of Lombardy, he managed to cut his hand, leaving blood all over the broken glass and the floor.

The police were called and he tried to bluff his way out, saying he had been attacked by three strangers. Under questioning, his story crumbled and he admitted being responsible for the break-in. Police said he knew the oratory well, having played football for the local parish when he was a boy. He was charged with burglary and is due to appear in court.

The hapless thief claimed he had been inspired by fictional robberies he had watched on the hugely successful Netflix series. The show revolves around a professional thief who seeks to avenge the death of his father. He is inspired by a book, given to him by his father, about a gentleman thief named Arsène Lupin.