Man arrested after David Bowie statue vandalised for a second time
A man has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after the David Bowie sculpture in Aylesbury was vandalised for a second time last week.
Between 8pm on Wednesday 10th and 4am on Thursday 11th October, blue paint was sprayed on the bronze memorial sculpture in Aylesbury Market Square alongside some nearby buildings.
This afternoon, Thames Valley Police confirmed they have made an arrest, writing: “A 29 year old male has been arrested on suspicion of Criminal Damage following a report of damage to the David Bowie statue. We are still appealing to anyone that may have witnessed the incident to contact 101 ref:43180311188. #P7644”
> A 29 year old male has been arrested on suspicion of Criminal Damage following a report of damage to the David Bowie statue. We are still appealing to anyone that may have witnessed the incident to contact 101 ref:43180311188. #P7644 > > — TVP Aylesbury Vale (@TVP_Aylesbury) October 16, 2018
Investigating officer PC Terry Lewis, based at Aylesbury police station, said last week: “I am appealing for anyone who may have witnessed this incident or who has any information that may help with this investigation.
“If you recognise any of the symbols in the photos, please let us know. I would also like to encourage anyone who owns a CCTV camera in this area to review the footage from Wednesday night into Thursday morning.”
> We are appealing for witnesses and information following damage caused the David Bowie statue and surrounding buildings in Aylesbury.
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> Please let us know on our website or on 101 if you have any info that may help. https://t.co/nHLJC3Skhi pic.twitter.com/Y8IZrHwbrp
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> — TVP Aylesbury Vale (@TVP_Aylesbury) October 12, 2018
Back in March, the Bowie statue called Earthly Messenger was vandalised just two days after it was unveiled to the public.
The pavement around the statue had the words ‘Feed the homeless first’ daubed on it while either side of the sculpture was graffiti reading ‘RIP DB’ (RIP David Bowie).
The statue itself was sprayed with black paint and, additionally, a part of the sculpture that features David Bowie’s album covers ‘Blackstar’, ‘Aladdin Sane’, ‘Low’, ‘Hunky Dory’ and ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars’ was crudely vandalised.
The funds to create the sculpture were raised via a £100,000 crowdfunding appeal by music promoter and Bowie aficionado David Stopps.
The visually striking statue was designed and sculpted by Andrew Sinclair and features speakers mounted above the life-size piece playing a Bowie song every hour between 9am and 9pm.
With Ziggy Stardust jumping out at the fore, incarnations of Bowie featured include the Pierrot costume from the ‘Ashes To Ashes’ video, Jareth the Goblin King from the movie Labyrinth and, more recently, Bowie with a bandage and buttons sewn over his eyes from the ‘Lazarus’ video.
Although born and raised in London, Bowie first unveiled with his iconic Ziggy Stardust persona at the Friars venue in Aylesbury in 1972. He also debuted ‘Hunky Dory’ and ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars’ there.