Man Breaks into Sydney Museum, Poses with Dinosaurs, Leaves in a Cowboy Hat

A man has been charged by police after allegedly spending a night at the museum in Sydney—breaking into the building, posing with the dinosaur skeletons and roaming the halls in a cowboy hat before leaving with a piece of stolen artwork.

The 25-year-old will face court today after CCTV allegedly caught him entering the Australian Museum just after 1AM on Sunday, 10 May. NSW Police claim he spent about 40 minutes inside the building—walking the halls, crossing multiple levels, attempting to gain access to rooms, rifling through drawers, looking through storage spaces, and taking selfies with some of the exhibits.

At one point the trespasser was seen to be posing with his head inside the jaws of a dinosaur skull. At another, he removed a cowboy hat from a coat rack inside the museum—thought to belong to a member of staff—and roamed the corridors while wearing it, according to Fairfax. Police later revealed that he stole a piece of artwork before he left the premises.

Museum staff handed the CCTV footage to officers from the Sydney City Police Area Command, who commenced an investigation. Police arrested the 25-year-old after he attended Surry Hills Police Station about 5PM yesterday.

He was charged with break and enter and refused bail.

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