Moment e-biker steals Nutcracker statue in Edinburgh

Masked e-bike thieves typically speed up behind their targets to snatch phones, but one thief took a different approach this time.

A bar owner is desperately searching for his cherished £900 Nutcracker statue, which was boldly stolen from outside his venue.

Video footage captures the thief struggling to load the eight-foot statue onto his bike on George Street, Edinburgh, at 10 PM on Tuesday. The masked suspect can be seen yanking the festive decoration from outside the Copper Blossom cocktail bar as shoppers walk by.

During the theft, he pushes over furniture and damages a £350 table. Despite his struggle, he manages to balance the 13kg statue on his bike and makes a slow, unstable getaway.

The Copper Blossom venue is urgently appealing for the return of “Nolan,” a festive life-size Nutcracker statue. Nolan and his companion, “Nelson,” who is now safely secured indoors, are a central part of the bar’s seasonal display.

These 17th-century-inspired decorations are a Christmas tradition at the bar, attracting many visitors eager to take photos.

Manager Paul Paxton shared the details of the disappearance with BBC Scotland, stating, “We were still open and had just stacked up all the outdoor furniture in front of the statue five minutes beforehand.”

“He cycles up on his e-bike, and it all happens in the space of a minute; it’s so quick. He pushed everything aside and pulled the tables over, and one falls and breaks, and then he yanks the Nutcracker away.”

As seen in the video, the thief falls off his bike once while attempting to load it and stumbles while trying to lay it horizontally across the bike.

Paul Paxton said, “It’s an 8-foot statue horizontally across a little e-bike. The people on the street didn’t really bat an eyelid.”

The crime has been recorded on CCTV and footage shared with Police Scotland, and the investigation is underway.