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'Peaky Blinders' thief wearing tweed cap and overcoat forgets to cover his face in sushi restaurant raid

This is the moment a thief in a tweed cap and overcoat was caught on CCTV raiding a Chelsea sushi restaurant that is popular with celebrities.

Managers of Kiru, favoured by Michael Caine, Bob Geldof and model Imogen Thomas, said a burglar dressed “like a Peaky Blinders character” broke in but forgot to cover his face or wear gloves.

CCTV footage shows three thieves rifling through bar cabinets at the award-winning restaurant in the early hours of Sunday. Two of them wore hoodies to hide their faces and covered their hands with the sleeves.

The trio were labelled “amateurs” by brothers Beau and Cameron McCarthy, the restaurant’s co-managers and sons of Rory McCarthy, former owner and co-founder of the Wagamama chain.

Cameron told the Standard the burglars made off with about £1,000 worth of stock, £150 from a safe in the office and chefs’ sushi knives. “It could have been worse but they clearly didn’t know what they were doing,” he said.

Celebrity favourite: the sushi restaurant in Elystan Street, Chelsea, has hosted Michael Caine and Bob Geldof (Nigel Howard)
Celebrity favourite: the sushi restaurant in Elystan Street, Chelsea, has hosted Michael Caine and Bob Geldof (Nigel Howard)

The 29-year-old compared the trio to characters from Guy Ritchie’s London gangster film Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels and hit TV series Peaky Blinders. “One of the guys looks like he’s from Lock Stock or Peaky Blinders,” he said. “He left fingerprints because he wasn’t even wearing gloves and you can clearly see his face.”

The raiders found the keys to Beau’s VW Golf, which they used to flee the scene in Elystan Street. Beau, 24, said: “They look like a group of wannabes — amateurs even. The other two have got their hoodies pulled over them with the strings fastened, like Kenny from South Park.

“It’s a bit worrying that they have taken the knives. Hopefully they’ll sell them rather than use them, because they’re pretty lethal. They broke in via the front door. The one with the flat cap had a briefcase full of tools.”

Cameron said it was “bizarre” that they made off with mid-priced wines but left bottles of expensive whiskies and rums. A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: “The burglary was reported to police on Sunday, November 11, at 10.57am. The incident is believed to have happened between 1am and 10am that day.”

The three men are thought to have arrived on foot via Markham Street, where the brothers believe they are likely to have been caught on more CCTV cameras. Call police on 101 if you have information.