A pair of RAF engineers have brought shame on the service by drunkenly destroying a statue of Paddington Bear in Newbury town centre.
Daniel Heath, 22, of Oakhall Park, Thornton, West Yorkshire, and William Lawrence, 22, of John Street, Enderby, Leicestershire, admitted an offence of criminal damage when they appeared at Reading Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, 25th March 2025.
Criminal damage is an offence under section 1(1) of the Criminal Damage Act 1971. Criminal damage over £5,000 has a maximum sentence of 12 months' custody and/or an unlimited fine on summary conviction; 10 years' custody on conviction on indictment. We have previously written a guide to the offence of criminal damage, which some readers may find of interest.
District Judge Sam Goozee heard that the pair, who are based at RAF Odiham, had been drinking in Newbury until the early hours of Sunday, 2nd March 2025.
They were caught on CCTV breaking apart the recently-installed Paddington Bear statue on Northbrook Street and making off with part of it.
The drunken airmen then got a taxi back to RAF Odiham, where the damaged statue was later recovered from the boot of Lawrence's car.
The £15,000 fibre glass statue was unveiled in October 2024, to mark the release of animated adventure comedy Paddington in Peru. It is expected that the creator will be able to repair the damage for £5,450.
Michael Bond, the author of the original Paddington books, was born in Newbury.
Addressing the pair, DJ Goozee said: "It was an act of wanton vandalism.
"Paddington Bear is a beloved cultural icon with children and adults alike. He represents kindness, tolerance and promotes integration and acceptance in our society.
"His famous label attached to his duffel coat says, 'Please look after this bear' but on the night of 2nd March, 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."
Heath and Lawrence were each made subject to a 12-month community order with 150 hours' unpaid work requirement.
They were each ordered to pay £2,725 in compensation, £114 surcharge and £85 towards prosecution costs.
Of more concern to them will be the fact that they'll be getting the hairdryer treatment from the Station Warrant Officer - and that's just for starters.
Inspector Alan Hawkett, of the Newbury Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: "I am pleased Daniel Heath and William Lawrence have admitted to damaging and stealing the Paddington Bear statue and they have been sentenced accordingly.
"The Paddington Bear statue is a beloved part of Newbury so we did everything we could to locate it and bring the offenders to justice.
"After a short stay at Newbury police station, we handed the statue back to its owners so it can be restored.
"Criminal damage and theft are serious offences regardless of the target, and we will always look to investigate and have offenders punished proportionately, including being put before the courts."
Another example of the perils of drinking on an empty head.
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