'Thieves' caught after posing as mannequins

Would-be thieves who allegedly broke into a designer-clothes shop in Rome were caught by police after pretending to be shop mannequins.

The men, aged 55, 70 and 78, reportedly entered the shop on Piazza Fiume in the early hours of Sunday morning and began to stuff bags with goods worth around £80,000.

But their noisy break-in prompted a neighbour to alert police, who found two of the men posing as mannequins amid a shop display. A police spokeswoman said the men had been trembling, which gave them away. The men are believed to be responsible for scores of break-ins over decades.