from Newbury in Berkshire.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd7egx029l9o

Criminal damage charges over Paddington statue



Two men have been charged after a Paddington Bear statue was damaged and taken from a bench.

The front of the sculpture was cut away and removed from its seat in Northbrook Street, Newbury, Berkshire at about 02:00 GMT on Sunday, according to Thames Valley Police. It was later recovered.

Daniel Heath, 22, from Thornton, West Yorkshire, and William Lawrence, 22 from Enderby, Leicestershire, were both charged with one count of criminal damage.

Both men have been released on conditional bail to appear at Reading Magistrates' Court on 25 March.



The statue of the Peruvian bear, holding a marmalade sandwich, was unveiled in the town in October.

Newbury was the home town of Paddington creator Michael Bond.

Newbury Business Improvement District (BID) brought the statue to Newbury, in partnership with StudioCanal, as part of its national Paddington Visits trail.

It was one of 23 models celebrating the children's character placed across the UK last year ahead of the launch of the film Paddington in Peru.

Thames Valley Police said the statue was due to be handed back to the owners for its restoration.

'I've lost 4,500 sheep to thieves on Dartmoor'

"It's beginning to feel like the Wild West up here when it comes to sheep crime - it's soul-destroying," says farmer Colin Abel, scanning his flock high up on west Dartmoor farmland.

This winter - like most years - Mr Abel is missing more than 400 ewes.  He says in the last decade he has lost nearly £500,000 worth of livestock to sheep rustling, which is pushing some farmers to the brink of quitting or bringing their flocks off the moors.

Devon and Cornwall Police says livestock theft is challenging to police but its officers are "pursuing every line of inquiry" through "forensics, surveillance, tracking and more".

Sheep have grazed on Dartmoor in Devon for centuries but roaming free, they are hard to keep an eye on and the national park is among the five worst areas in the country for sheep rustling.

Mr Abel's family has run Lower Godsworthy Farm in Tavistock since 1888.  He estimates more than 4,500 sheep have gone missing in the last decade and with each ewe worth roughly £120, that is more than £500,000 worth of livestock, he says.

His hardy upland flock of Scotch Blackface and Welsh mountain sheep spend nine-and-a-half months of the year on the moor, where they are most vulnerable to theft.  "It impacts financially and on the viability of the business," he says. "I know farmers who are thinking about whether they want to continue."

There have been no prosecutions for sheep theft in the last five years for Devon and Cornwall.

The challenge is complicated by the suspected involvement of people from the farming industry, says PC Julian Fry from Devon and Cornwall Police's Rural Affairs Team.  "The tragedy of this situation is that to steal livestock you have to know livestock and have the networks to shift them on."

PC Fry, who grew up on the edge of Dartmoor and knows the farming community well, says despite the challenges, officers are working with abattoirs, commoners and farmers to build intelligence and employ "lots of tactical options".  "Any report of livestock theft we take seriously, investigate and pursue all lines of inquiry," he adds. "We hope to make this crime a thing of the past."

Rural insurer NFU Mutual estimates livestock theft cost £2.7m in 2023, although Mr Abel says he quit reporting his losses to avoid higher premiums.

(Article continues)

Paddington being in a town centre with, no doubt, plenty of CCTV and probably some eyewitnesses, even at the late hour of the damage and theft, I imagine it was a relatively easy solve for Thames Valley Police.

Very different to rusting of livestock in the rural countryside.

.....Very different to rusting of livestock in the rural countryside.

Two RAF engineers have been charged over removal


https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/33954796/royal-air-force-crew-stealing-paddington-bear/

Paddington vandals 'antithesis' of bear, says judge



Two RAF engineers who broke a Paddington statue have been told by a judge they are the "antithesis" of everything the bear stands for.

Daniel Heath and William Lawrence, both 22 and based at RAF Odiham in Hampshire, each admitted an offence of criminal damage at Reading Magistrates' Court.

The statue in Newbury, Berkshire, was damaged before being taken shortly after 02:00 GMT on 2 March.

The pair, who committed the offence while drunk on a night out, have been ordered to carry out unpaid work and each pay £2,725 to cover the cost of repairs.

On sentencing, district judge Sam Goozee said Paddington Bear was a "beloved cultural icon.  He represents kindness, tolerance and promotes integration and acceptance in our society," he said.  "His famous label attached to his duffle coat says 'please look after this bear'.  On the night of the 2nd of March 2025, your actions were the antithesis of everything Paddington stands for.  Your actions lacked respect and integrity, two values you should uphold as members of the armed forces."

CCTV footage was shown in court in which Heath, of Oakhall Park, Thornton, near Bradford in West Yorkshire, and Lawrence, of John Street, Enderby, Leicestershire, could be seen stopping by the Paddington Bear statue on Northbrook Street and attempting to lift it off the bench.

The seam of the statue then broke off and the pair could be seen walking off with the broken half.  The judge said the men then took it in a taxi back to RAF Odiham.

Thames Valley Police confirmed the statue did appear for sale on Facebook marketplace, but did not investigate further as it was recovered from the boot of Lawrence's car soon after.

Mr Goozee, who handed each of them a 12-month community order, said the pair had committed "an act of wanton vandalism".

The defendants' defence lawyer, Tom Brymer, told the court they were "extremely ashamed about their actions.  They are two men who are very different than what we see on the CCTV footage," he said.

A spokesperson for the Royal Air Force said they were aware of the trial outcome, but any disciplinary action would be a private matter.

The statue was unveiled in Newbury - the home of Paddington's creator Michael Bond - in October 2024.

Mr Goozee said this made the statue in the Berkshire town even more significant.  It was one of 23 placed across the UK as part of the Paddington Visits Trail.

In a statement read out by prosecutor Jaimie Renuka, CEO of Newbury Business Improvement District (BID) Trish Willetts said the remains of the statue had to be covered with a bin bag to prevent it from upsetting children.

The damaged statue was recovered but a date for its return has yet to be confirmed.

i recall many years ago that "a" two foot high cloth Paddington bear was removed from a flimsy plastic wrap around case on the course at Paddington station.

It turned out to be two students from one of the country's across the pond who had removed the bear.

Not sure if any one can actually recall when this "removal" occurred.

The stuffed dog at Slough station used to disappear occasionally if memory serves (not guilty I should add!!!)

It looked like you'd need bio-hazard PPE to handle that thing safely!