Oxfordshire: Life-size Santa Claus model taken from village


A model of Santa Claus has been equipped with a location tracker after the previous one was stolen from outside a home in Little Milton, Oxfordshire. Paul De Fraine had displayed the life-size figure outside his house for the past four or five years and said the replacement had been created from pipes with the help of a local dealer. De Fraine positioned the Santa figure in various positions in previous years, including climbing a ladder, waving and drinking a bottle of wine. He said the new creation is predominantly made of the same pipes and now carries a tracker.

The previous model was stolen on 5 December. De Fraine said he had no idea who took it, but thanked people for their support, saying it had been a “huge surprise”. Local resident Liz Jones described the theft as “disgraceful”. De Fraine said he had created the figure so the children who pass by on their way to school in December could enjoy a funny Christmas display. He said the local children’s enjoyment had made the theft all the more upsetting. 

De Fraine‘s commentary indicates that the tracker means if anyone attempts to steal the new Santa Claus model it will be tracked. He added that he had not been in contact with the police over the theft. Alarmed at the theft, locals have now come together to make sure the new Santa remains in place for the remainder of the season.
 

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