Zoo monkey 'stolen after hours'

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A rare squirrel monkey was stolen from his cage by a group of friends visiting Chessington World of Adventures, Kingston Crown Court has heard.

SpongeBob was found playing with children in a park in Clapham, south London, two days after being taken from the theme park in south-west London.

Marlon Brown, 23, denies stealing the monkey in July last year.

He claimed he did not know what his friends were planning when they stayed past closing time and took the monkey.

DNA profile

The court heard how the group of up to eight paid to get into the park earlier that day but stayed there once the gates had closed.

Mr Brown told the court that his friends had asked to borrow his bag as he watched the antics of the Bolivian squirrel monkeys.

He said he could not name those he was with but two of them left the enclosure with SpongeBob in his rucksack.

One of the monkeys jumped on to my back. I tried to brush it off and it bit me on my thumb Marlon Brown

"I told them to put him back but they wouldn't listen. I thought he was going to die," he said.

Jurors heard how DNA found inside the cage matched Mr Brown's profile.

Mr Brown claimed this had happened as he lent into the cage to retrieve items that had fallen out of his bag.

He said: "One of the monkeys jumped on to my back. I tried to brush it off and it bit me on my thumb."

The friends then drove back to Brixton, where Mr Brown lives, and he claims he did not see the monkey until the next day at a basketball park with those who had taken him.

He said he again tried to make them return the animal for fear they would not care for him properly.

The case continues.