Earlier this month, someone committed the heinous crime of slicing a Paddington Bear statue in half and stealing it from a bench in Berkshire, and now this week, the two men responsible have been brought to justice.
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, as per the BBC.
The pair admitted committing the offence while drunk on a night out, and have now been ordered to carry out unpaid work and each pay £2,725 to cover the cost of repairs. Here they are looking sheepish outside court this week:
District judge Sam Goozee gave Danny and William a serious dressing down too, telling them their actions were ‘the antithesis of everything Paddington stands for.’
“He represents kindness, tolerance and promotes integration and acceptance in our society.
“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 the two lads 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.
Get a look at these diabolical scenes (warning = highly distressing images). I can only half bear to look…
Hilariously, Thames Valley Police confirmed the statue appeared for sale on Facebook marketplace soon after, but did not investigate further as it was recovered from the boot of William’s car.
No doubt their CO gave them a hell of a b0llocking too. I mean, it’s not the best start to a military career to get convicted of vandalising a Paddington Bear statue, is it? These boys are lucky they don’t get done for treason and tossed into the Tower of London, all things considered.
For unreal footage of an influencer getting trapped in a bear cave just as the bear returns home, click HERE.
