The Adelaide trio who stole a $160k ‘Big Bird’ costume from a circus may strike an agreement that prevents a max 15-year sentence.
When a giant ‘Big Bird’ costume disappeared last year during the Sesame Street Circus Spectacular at Bonython Park in Adelaide, three attendees were charged with an aggravated count of “dishonestly taking property without consent.”
The accused are Amelia Margaret Hurt, 20, Tasman Binder, 22, and Cody Alain Milne, 26. If convicted, the charge against them carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
With that much jail time on the line, we’d be freaking out. But for some reason, these guys looked pretty chill outside the Adelaide Magistrates Court.
After the costume went missing for a few days back in April of 2021, it was returned to the circus, with an apology letter from “the Big Bird Bandits” stuffed into the costume’s beak:
“We were just having a rough time and were trying to cheer ourselves up,” the letter read. “We had no idea what we were doing or what our actions would cause.”
The trio underwent a hearing yesterday, where two of the accused, Binder and Milne, pled guilty to the charges. While we’re still waiting for confirmation from Hurt’s lawyer about her plea, the prosecutor has allegedly stated that if all three defendants agreed to plead guilty, then a certain agreement would become available, and it would stand in their favour.
During the time of the crime, the trio made headlines for their bizarrely nonchalant and comedic attitude in the face of such serious charges. As journalists were filmed chasing Binder and Milne leaving the courthouse back in July, they appeared totally unphased and even smiled as they were asked obscure questions like, “can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?”
In yesterday’s post-courthouse appearance, the pair looked just as cool, calm and collected as they did mid-last year.
According to Binder’s lawyer, Joseph Henderson, “There is a broad agreement that the matter will remain in the (Adelaide) Magistrates Court but I don’t think the paperwork has been signed yet,” he said.
While a lot of the details of this reported “agreement” still remain a mystery, we do know that it would stop the case from moving to the District Court, meaning the trio would face a lesser penalty.
Maybe that’s what they’re smiling about?
