Owl fights back to ruffle thief's feathers

The theft had seemed to be going so well.

It had been pretty simple to whisk Addy the barn owl from her loving owners' home, and Jason Denton was thinking of the handsome profit he would make in cashing in on the craze for pet owls inspired by the Harry Potter films.

However, Denton's plan began to unravel when he found Addy's cage would not fit into his getaway car, a stolen Ford Fiesta.

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He got rid of the cage and climbed into the passenger seat with the bird on his lap, ordered the driver to speed off - and soon discovered to his cost that owls have very sharp claws indeed.

As police - having spotted the stolen Fiesta - gave chase, Denton gritted his teeth as feathers flew but finally had no choice but to wind down the window of the car and let three-year-old Addy fly to freedom.