Batman chases thief and scales Norwich cathedral wall to return stolen handbag

A man dressed as Batman chased a suspected handbag thief through Norwich after witnessing a woman's bag being snatched outside a nightclub. Sonni Mason, 25, was attending a fancy-dress party when he joined the pursuit alongside people dressed as Poison Ivy and Mister Fantastic. Although the group caught up with the suspected thief, the handbag was missing. Following a tip-off, they discovered it approximately 300 metres away, on top of a high flint wall surrounding Norwich Cathedral. Mason then climbed the wall, still wearing his Batman costume, retrieved the bag and returned it to its owner with all its contents intact.

According to the Guardian, Mason and the other costumed partygoers pursued the suspected thief and alerted a group of police officers who were on their way. However, when they caught up with the suspect, he no longer had the handbag. The group subsequently received a tip-off about where the missing property had been left. The handbag was eventually discovered approximately 300 metres from the location where it had been snatched. It had been left on top of a high flint wall along the perimeter of Norwich Cathedral. The group initially attempted to retrieve it using a roll of toilet paper, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

With the handbag still out of reach, Mason decided to climb the wall himself. Still wearing his full Batman costume, he scaled the high structure and managed to retrieve the bag. He then returned it to its owner, with all the contents still inside. Much of the incident was captured in a TikTok video uploaded to Mason's account. In a post accompanying the footage, he described how the group had become involved in the incident while celebrating a friend's birthday. "On a night out for a friend's birthday, someone swiped someone's bag over a pack of cigarettes out of spite… myself as Batman, Poison Ivy, Mr Fantastic and various other heroes chased him down," Mason wrote.

Speaking to the SWNS news agency, Mason, who is from London and works in a cafe, said he hoped the incident would encourage people to help others when they witnessed someone in trouble. "I hope I can inspire people to be a little bit more like Batman. Not so much the running around in the dark in a costume but helping others out. I didn't expect to be scaling up a wall," he said. He also explained that helping people did not require wearing a superhero costume. "Everyone needs a little bit of Batman. You have to be brave, bold and kind. I would hope everyone else would do the same, whether or not they are wearing a cape or a cowl," Mason added. Mason said his intention was not to imitate the superhero's physical fights or rooftop pursuits, but to make sure everyone was safe. Referring to Batman's role as a protector, he said: "That's what [Batman] is about. He's a protector." He further expressed hope that people would be encouraged to intervene appropriately when they saw someone being mugged or made to feel uncomfortable during a night out, adding that "it shouldn't take a superhero costume to make you want to do that."

Norfolk Police confirmed that officers had been approached about the missing handbag during routine night-time patrols in Norwich on Saturday, September 19. A police spokesperson said: "Officers on routine night-time economy patrols in Norwich were approached by a member of the public, on Saturday, September 19, who requested help to find a missing bag." The spokesperson confirmed that the handbag was subsequently located and returned to its owner. "Following inquiries at the scene, the bag was located with all of its contents intact and subsequently returned to its owner," the statement added.