A 25-year-old man dressed as Batman for a fancy dress party chased down a thief in Norwich and scaled a wall to retrieve a stolen handbag. Sonni Mason, from London, was queuing outside a bar with friends on Saturday, September 19, when a stranger joined them and 'seemed friendly'. The situation changed when the man accused two women of stealing a packet of cigarettes from him and then allegedly snatched a handbag.
Mason, who works at a cafe, gave chase through the streets and scaled a wall before flagging down police for help. The keen cosplayer said: 'It was really unexpected and I didn't expect to be scaling up a wall.'
Superhero crossover chase
Mason was not alone in the pursuit. His friends, dressed as Mr Fantastic, Poison Ivy, and X-Men's Cyclops, also joined the chase. When the group caught up with the robber, he no longer had the bag. A tip-off led them to the missing accessory, which had been thrown on top of a wall outside the grounds of Norwich Cathedral.
Police allowed Mason to scale the barrier, with a boost from a friend, and he retrieved the bag. He did not use his grappling hook, which was made from recycled toilet roll.
Inspiring others to help
Mason said he hopes his actions inspire others. 'I hope I can inspire people to be a little bit more like Batman,' he said. 'Not so much the running around in the dark in a costume but helping others out.' He added: 'There's not a lot of good things going on in the world. At the time, being able to get someone's bag back, make sure she could go home safe and see someone happy again felt good. Everyone needs a little bit of that in them. A little bit of Batman. You have to be brave, bold and kind.'
He concluded: 'I didn't want to jump off rooftops or beat people up. I just want to make sure everyone else is all right. Sincerely, that's what [Batman] is about. He's a protector. I just hope more people will be inspired to do the same if they see someone being mugged or feeling uncomfortable on a night out. It shouldn't take a superhero costume to make you want to do that.'
A Norfolk Police spokesperson said: 'Officers on routine night-time economy patrols in Norwich were approached by a member of the public, on Saturday, September 19, who requested help to find a missing bag. Following enquiries at the scene, the bag was located with all of its contents intact and subsequently returned to its owner.'
