The trial of Miguel Simon Mungarrieta Monsalve, 52, a Venezuelan who stole ancient Egyptian artifacts from the Abbey Museum in Caboolture, began in Cleveland, Australia, because he “considered it his duty to return them to their rightful place,” ABC Net reported. The defendant has been charged with a number of criminal charges, including willful damage and drug possession. The judge at the hearing said the crime was “strange” and resembled an episode of The Simpsons. The report said Monsalve used an ax to break a window in the Monastery Museum of Art and Archeology building in Caboolture, get inside and smash the glass case displaying the exhibits there. Four artifacts were stolen, including a mummy mask, a ring and a wooden cat statue. Other artifacts suffered “irreparable damage,” museum officials said in court. Police found three items missing from Monsalve's camper van parked at Brisbane ferry terminal. The fourth statue, a small statue of a cat, was seized by the man during his arrest. A police spokesman told the court that Monsalve “considered it his duty to take possession of the artifacts and return them to their rightful place,” calling the Catholic monastery “not the place where they should be kept.” The evidence that the man kept in the car was wrapped in the Venezuelan flag. Because the defendant did not have a permanent residence, bail was denied.
