Bank robbing Santa Claus goes from nice to naughty in bizarrely polite heist

A man dressed as Santa Claus has carried out a bizarrely polite bank robbery. The ersatz Father entered the Memphis City Employee Credit Union bank in Tennessee on 21 December and wished employees and customers a Merry Christmas.

He also handed out candy canes before going from nice to naughty. He handed the bank teller a note asking her to hand over cash, but no weapon was presented.

The man was then handed the undisclosed amount of cash and walked out of the store, before he was seen on CCTV taking off his mask.

Memphis Police Department are investigating the robbery and have released the footage in an appeal for information.

A spokesman for the force said: "At approximately 10.00am, a lone male wearing a Santa mask entered the Memphis City Employee Credit Union located at 4135 Elvis Presley. Once inside, the male handed candy canes to several employees and customers and wished them a Merry Christmas.

"Next, the male approached the teller and handed her a note demanding the money from her cash drawer. After obtaining the money from the teller, the suspect exited the bank and walked eastbound on Raines Road.

"The suspect is described as a black male, 5ft 9in, 150lbs, wearing a Santa mask, red shirt, black pants, and black shoes. No arrests have been made at this point."

On 14 December, a man matching the description of Bad Santa entered a separate bank on the same road and attempted a similar robbery. On this occasion, the black male suspect entered the Regions Bank, unmasked, and presented a note to the teller demanding cash, but then fled on foot without taking anything. It has not been confirmed if the two incidents are linked.