Man charged with stealing monkey

SpongeBob was away from his enclosure for three days

A 22-year-old man from south London has been charged with the theft of a squirrel monkey from a zoo in Surrey.

The monkey was reported missing from Chessington World of Adventures on 17 July but was found two days later playing with children in Clapham.

Unemployed Marlon Brown, from Bowater Close, Brixton, was released on bail following his arrest by the Kingston burglary team on Wednesday morning.

He is due to appear before Kingston Magistrates' Court on 14 September.

The two-year-old Bolivian squirrel monkey, known as SpongeBob, was returned to the zoo after a member of the public found it being played with by children in Clapham.

He was safely returned to his enclosure after his three-day ordeal in July following health checks.