Five-year-olds tunnel out of nursery to buy sports car

Two five-year-old boys embarked on a Great-Escape-style venture to tunnel their way out of nursery school on a quest to buy a "grown-up" car.

The unnamed pair hatched the scheme to break out of their school, in the Russian city of Magnitogorsk, and buy themselves their dream car, a Jaguar. According to the Siberian Times, they used toy spades to burrow under a fence in the play area over several days, with their activities going apparently unnoticed by staff.

After completing the tunnel, the boys waited until the class was on a walk in the grounds before slipping away from the group and making their escape. Their absence was not noticed for another half an hour, when teachers raised the alarm.

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Once off of school property, the boys walked more than a mile through the busy streets of the industrial city until they reached their target – a luxury car dealership. A passing driver pulled over to check on the pair as they gazed through the showroom window, only to be told they had come to buy a Jaguar, although they had no money with them. The woman drove the boys to the local police station, where they were found to be unharmed by their adventure.

The outlook for the teacher on duty was less rosy, however, as news of the break-out went public. Despite the children's parents stating they didn't wish to press any charges against the school, the teacher responsible for the boys at the time has been dismissed.

Regional director of pre-school education Olga Denisenko described the case as a "very serious violation", and said that the school's head-teacher had been given an official warning over the incident.