Two men charged over damage to Newbury Paddington statue

Two men have been charged with criminal damage in connection with the Paddington Bear statue incident in Newbury yesterday (2/3).

Daniel Heath, aged 22, of Oakhall Park, Thornton, West Yorkshire, and William Lawrence, aged 22, of John Street, Enderby, Leicestershire, were both charged with one count of criminal damage today (3/3).

The charges relate to criminal damage and theft of the statue in Northbrook Street at around 2am.

Heath and Lawrence were released on conditional bail to appear at Reading Magistrates’ Court on 25 March.

Newbury MP Lee Dillon described the damage to the statue as 'heartbreaking' and 'senseless'

The statue was one of 23 placed on benches across the UK as part of a national trail.

It was particularly poignant for Newbury as it's the birth place of Paddington author Michael Bond.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.