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It started off as a straight-forward story about stolen gold - then the internet intervened and steered it in a whole new direction.
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The story of $70,000 in gold bullion being stolen from a home in Ballarat’s Webster Street was already enough to draw headlines across Australia.
After all, here we had a home in Ballarat's most exclusive street being targeted in broad daylight.
The thief hit the jackpot when they found pure gold concealed not in a safe, but a standard household cabinet.
But it was when the owner of the gold bars revealed her sketch of the thief that the internet took control.
No longer was this story about the gold that was stolen, it had become about the sketch of the thief.
Dr Rosemary Draper is a psychiatrist by trade. But judging by the sketch alone, an artist she is not.
And didn’t the internet realise it.
Within minutes of the sketch hitting The Courier Facebook page, users took it upon themselves to poke a bit of fun at the sketch.
The drawing has since become common place in Ballarat.
At The Courier, it is impossible to post any story about a crime without a Facebook user posting a photo of the sketch with a caption along the lines of “I saw this bloke lurking at the scene?”
One man has even taken it upon himself to have the sketch printed on a t-shirt and sold on the popular Ballarat Buy, Swap and Sell page.
Such was the popularity of the t-shirts they have sold out and the designer plans on donating the money to charity.
Police say they are still hunting the offender and anybody with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit the Crime Stoppers webpage.