Phantom fountain felon fingered by fancy footwear

Italian police say they have caught the phantom fountain felon who vandalised two of Rome’s most famous sites. And it was his fancy footwear that led them to him.

The caribinieri launched a manhunt after the attacks on the Moor Fountain in the Piazza Navona and the Trevi fountain on Saturday were picked up by surveillance cameras.

The police explained they noticed the vandal’s distinctive trainers – light blue with a white front – on the CCTV images and made the arrest after spotting a homeless man in his fifties wearing the same footwear.

He has reportedly admitted the attacks but given no explanation as to why he carried them out.

Work is already underway to repair the damage, estimated to be as much as 10,000 euros.

However it could have been much worse. The fountains the tourists see are actually copies of the real ones which were replaced in the 19th century for security reasons.

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