B.C. ‘chronic offender’ who stole kids’ cancer wigs gets 505 days in jail

A notorious B.C. thief who was busted for stealing 150 wigs meant for kids with cancer will spend 505 days in jail, as well as a year on probation.

Martin Weigelt pleaded guilty to a handful of charges of break and enter and mischief, and was sentenced on Jan. 13, 2020.

Only one of the charges related to the wig theft.

Weigelt has a criminal history dating back to 1987 which includes more than 100 criminal convictions, and has been described by Vancouver police as a “chronic offender.”

The theft of the children’s wigs in Sept. 7, 2018, sparked outrage and an outpouring of community support.

1:56 Career criminal charged with theft of cancer wigs

Police say Weigelt cut a hole in the wall of Eva and Co. Wigs in Vancouver from a neighbouring business, then made off with the expensive hairpieces made of real human hair.

Police later recovered 60 of the wigs, but they were no longer suitable for use.

In the wake of the theft, dozens of people stepped up to offer hair donations to Wigs for Kids, the volunteer-run program that operates out of BC Children’s hospital to help children fighting cancer, blood disease or any other medical condition that causes a loss of hair.