Victoria Police charge 33-year-old man with alleged theft of beloved Gorilla statue

Villagers have hailed the return of ‘Garry the Gorilla’ after the 1.5m statue was allegedly stolen from a retirement home.

A 33-year-old man is in custody for the alleged theft of “Garry the Gorilla”, a beloved statue that enlivened a retirement village in Melbourne’s outer northeast.

The giant silverback went missing on June 6 from the St Helena village.

The police located Garry during a search warrant at a Reservoir address on Monday.

“Following significant coverage of Garry’s return to the retirement village on Wednesday, a 33-year-old Heidelberg Heights man made himself known to police,” a statement on Friday said.

“He was interviewed by appointment this morning and subsequently charged with theft, handle stolen goods and drive whilst disqualified.”

The police deployed substantial resources to retrieve Garry. Picture: Victoria Police

Robin, a resident of the village, said she and everyone at the retirement home were “very excited” to see Garry returned back to them.

“We are all very excited,” she said.

“We’ve been shocked, he was gone for so long. Why there weren’t millions of police out there looking for him … but anyway he is back and that is all that matters now.”

Garry sits out the front of the village.

“Can’t miss him,” she said.

‘Garry the Gorilla' sits out the front of the St Helena retirement village. Picture: Victoria Police

The police deployed aerial surveillance resources to help find Garry.

The man is on bail and will face Heidelberg Magistrates Court on August 30.

Photos from the mission show Garry humped over in a residential backyard.

In addition to Garry, investigators also seized 24 suspectedly stolen drivers’ licenses and a quantity of prescription medication during the search.