Latest news with #DanielHeath
The Guardian
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Repaired Paddington Bear statue unveiled in Newbury after vandalism
Never has the label hung around Paddington's neck reading 'please look after this bear' been so pertinent. On Wednesday morning, a repaired statue of the Peruvian ursine was unveiled in Newbury, Berkshire, after it was damaged by two Royal Air Force engineers out on a bender. Daniel Heath and William Lawrence, both 22 and engineers at RAF Odiham in Hampshire, were sentenced for the offence at Reading magistrates court in March with the judge telling the men they were 'the antithesis of everything Paddington stands for'. Michael Bond, the author and creator of Paddington, was born in Newbury and the court heard this added to the cultural significance of the statue. People cheered on the high street in Newbury as the chair of the Newbury improvement district, Ian Batho, and the vice-chair, Ashley Morris, removed the veil that covered the repaired statue. Among those who came to see the unveiling was Anthony George, who had been so devastated by the act of vandalism he had the marmalade-loving cub tattooed on his leg. George, 64, from Hungerford in Berkshire, said: 'I wouldn't miss [the unveiling] for the world.' He said of his tattoo: 'I just want to symbolise what a wonderful fictional character Paddington is. I grew up with Paddington, so it means a lot. 'It clearly says on his name tag 'look after me', or words to that effect, and hopefully people will adhere to that: be kind. Unfortunately the other two that vandalised it weren't very kind.' Heath and Lawrence were told to pay £2,725 each towards the costs of repairing the statue. They were also sentenced to a 12-month community order and required to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work. Bond's creation has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity over the last decade since the release of a trilogy of live-action movies, which have reportedly grossed nearly $800m (£625m) worldwide.
Sky News
07-04-2025
- Sky News
Paddington bear statue to return to Newbury after being vandalised by RAF engineers
A Paddington bear statue that was partly ripped off its bench and stolen will be returning "back to the town that loves him so dearly". The statue of the fictional Peruvian bear was damaged by two Royal Air Force engineers, who made off with part of it in Newbury, Berkshire, following a night out on 2 March. Daniel Heath and William Lawrence, both 22 and engineers at RAF Odiham in Hampshire, appeared at Reading Magistrates' Court in March. They were ordered to pay £2,725 each towards the costs of repairing the statue and were sentenced to 12-month community orders. 1:10 The repaired and repainted statue will be unveiled in a ceremony on Wednesday at 11.30am on Northbrook Street, Newbury. Ben Beardmore-Gray, marketing manager at Newbury Business Improvement District (BID), said: "When the damage was caused, it was a bit of a shock to all of us. "Newbury is quite a quiet town. Crime here is not particularly extreme. "For something so visible to happen - it caught us all off guard. "We've been working very hard behind the scenes for five weeks, basically, to bring Paddington back to the town that loves him so dearly, and we're delighted that we can announce he's back on Wednesday." CCTV footage played at Reading Magistrates' Court showed the engineers approaching the statue before attempting to rip the bear off the bench, then walking away with part of the damaged object. They carried the statue through the town and into a taxi to their base at RAF Odiham, the court heard. District judge Sam Goozee said it was "an act of wanton vandalism".
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Yahoo
Paddington bear statue to return to Newbury after being vandalised by RAF engineers
A Paddington bear statue that was partly ripped off its bench and stolen will be returning "back to the town that loves him so dearly". The statue of the fictional Peruvian bear , who made off with part of it in Newbury, Berkshire, following a night out on 2 March. Daniel Heath and William Lawrence, both 22 and engineers at RAF Odiham in Hampshire, appeared at Reading Magistrates' Court in March. They were ordered to pay £2,725 each towards the costs of repairing the statue and were sentenced to 12-month community orders. The repaired and repainted statue will be unveiled in a ceremony on Wednesday at 11.30am on Northbrook Street, Newbury. Read more from Sky News: Ben Beardmore-Gray, marketing manager at Newbury Business Improvement District (BID), said: "When the damage was caused, it was a bit of a shock to all of us. "Newbury is quite a quiet town. Crime here is not particularly extreme. "For something so visible to happen - it caught us all off guard. "We've been working very hard behind the scenes for five weeks, basically, to bring Paddington back to the town that loves him so dearly, and we're delighted that we can announce he's back on Wednesday." CCTV footage played at Reading Magistrates' Court showed the engineers approaching the statue before attempting to rip the bear off the bench, then walking away with part of the damaged object. They carried the statue through the town and into a taxi to their base at RAF Odiham, the court heard. District judge Sam Goozee said it was "an act of wanton vandalism". The judge added the RAF engineers' "actions were the antithesis of everything Paddington stands for".
BBC News
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Vandalised Paddington bear statue to return to Newbury
A Paddington statue that was ripped from a bench by two RAF engineers is to be homage to the famous bear has been repaired and repainted and will be unveiled during a ceremony in Newbury, Berkshire, on of the statue was removed and taken in the early hours of 2 March by Daniel Heath and William pair, both 22 and based at RAF Odiham in Hampshire, admitted criminal damage and were ordered to carry out unpaid work as well as pay £2,725 to cover the cost of repairs. The statue was originally unveiled in the hometown of Paddington creator Michael Bond in October was one of dozens put up across the UK as part of the Paddington Visits trail to celebrate the film, Paddington in repaired bear will be unveiled by Ian Batho and Ashley Morris from Newbury Business Improvement District (BID).Ben Beardmore-Gray, marketing manager at Newbury BID, said: "We have received so many lovely messages from parents who wanted to share how much their children have been missing Paddington..."...we are delighted to announce that Paddington is finally ready for his much-anticipated return to Newbury."The reinstallation offers a unique opportunity for us to provide a special moment that parents can share with their children, so we'd like to invite any families along on the day to join us welcoming Paddington home." As part of the unveiling, children are being encouraged to write a letter welcoming Paddington back to can be delivered to a special postbox next to his bench between 10:00 and 14:00 BST on Wednesday. The unveiling ceremony will begin on Northbrook Street at 11:30. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
