RAF engineers charged with stealing Paddington Bear bench statue
Two Royal Air Force engineers have been charged with stealing a statue of Paddington Bear in the home town of Michael Bond, the creator of the beloved bear.
Jars of marmalade, sandwiches and poems were left at the scene in Newbury after the statue was cut in half and stolen – with just the character's back and legs left behind.
Thames Valley Police have recovered the stolen part of the statue and plan to restore it.
Daniel Heath and William Lawrence, both 22, are two engineers understood to be based at RAF Odiham in Hampshire, working on the Chinook helicopter fleet.
The engineers have been charged with criminal damage and will appear at Reading magistrates' court next Tuesday.
The Paddington statue, complete with a red hat, blue duffle coat and trademark marmalade sandwich, disappeared at around 2am on March 2, leaving only an empty hollow shell behind.
The model was installed to mark the release of the film Paddington in Peru last year, and was one of 23 installed across the country as part of a 'Paddington trail'.
Paddington has a special place in English culture, with the character even appearing with the late Queen Elizabeth II as part of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022.
The statue's remains were covered with a tent, as mourners left sandwiches, poems, and jars of marmalade on the bench in Northbrook Street where Paddington used to sit.
The police said Heath, from Thorton, West Yorkshire and Lawrence, from Enderby, Leicester, have been charged with criminal damage and will appear in Reading magistrates' court next week.
Paddington's 'rightful place'
The statue has been recovered, the police are 'keeping it safe' and will support its restoration to 'its rightful place', Inspector Alan Hawkett said.
He added: 'Paddington is heading to the Newbury police station for a much-needed marmalade sandwich'.
Lee Dillon, Liberal Democrat MP for Newbury, took to X to describe his disappointment at the 'senseless damage', saying it was 'heartbreaking to see that Paddington has been vandalised'.
An RAF spokesman told The Sun: 'We are aware that two service personnel have been arrested for alleged theft and criminal damage. However, we are unable to comment while legal proceedings are ongoing'.
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