Video: Footballers dressed as Jesus and elf steal Perth restaurant mascot before transporting to Stonehaven

CCTV footage has emerged showing fancy-dressed amateur footballers stealing a beloved chef mascot during a drunken rampage.

Perth restaurant Crido's detailed the incident which took place on Saturday night via their Facebook page.

They wrote: "We are very sad tonight at Crido’s. So for the group who were out in Perth dressed in fancy costume one as Jesus in full length white gown please return the our chef that’s in the picture as you are on CCTV!"

The post was accompanied by CCTV footage showing the group of revellers led by one male dressed in white and impersonating Jesus Christ, carrying the life-sized statue.

Several Facebook users responded to the appeal by the popular, family-run restaurant, revealing sightings of the group.

One commented saying "looks like it's lost it's head", accompanied by a picture of a man wearing a green and red morph suit, carrying the headless statue.

Crido's later commented on the Facebook post revealing that the statue had now been found 70 miles northeast of Perth in Stonehaven.

They wrote: "Thank you everyone for your help. Looks like it’s been found this morning in Stonehaven! Without his head."

Outraged posters condemned the group, calling them "absolute scum" and "monsters".

Crido's' owner Cristian Cojocaru confirmed to the Scotsman the fate of the statue, shedding light on the events.

He said: "An amateur football club from Stonehaven came to Perth for a Christmas party, and they passed my restaurant and stole my good quality chef. One was dressed as Jesus, one as a snowman and another an elf.

"The manager has since called me up, apologised on behalf of the group and paid me back."

Asked whether the restaurant would be reunited with their mascot chef, Cojocaru said: "No. His head is on one side of Stonehaven and his body the other."

On the original Facebook post, social media user Zoe Stott confirmed the statue's grisly fate: "The police picked the body up, not sure about the head though."

Despite the loss of the chef, Cojocaru insisted that he had drawn a line under the incident, revealing that the football club has now volunteered to support a local charity of his choice.