Police release CCTV of two hooded suspects after £300,000 Margaret Thatcher statue in her home town was vandalised with red paint and communist symbol
- The 10 foot high sculpture of Margaret Thatcher has been attacked several times
- The £300,000 work has been erected in the late PM’s hometown of Grantham
- Footage shows two masked men approaching the statue last Saturday
- Council officials installed CCTV at the site to mitigate risk of vandalism
Police have released CCTV of two suspects they are hunting in connection with the latest vandalism of the Margaret Thatcher statue.
The £300,000 memorial to the former Prime Minister was targeted for the second time in two weeks last weekend after being installed a fortnight ago in Grantham, Lincolnshire.
Red paint was thrown at the 10ft-high granite sculpture and a red hammer and sickle communist symbol was painted onto the fence surrounding it on Saturday.
Lincolnshire Police today issued a CCTV appeal in a bid to track down two hooded suspects caught on camera in the area at the time.
The 12 second footage shows the duo dressed in black and wearing face masks with one of them carrying something in a white carrier bag.
Lincolnshire Police are searching for these two men who are believed to have vandalised a statue of Margaret Thatcher which had been installed in her native Grantham
The men are believed to have daubed red paint on the statue which had been placed on a 10ft high plinth in an effort to keep her away from vandals
A force spokesperson said: ‘We would like to speak to the individuals in this footage who may be able to help us with our enquiries into an incident of criminal damage of the newly-erected statue of former Prime Minster Margaret Thatcher.
‘The incident happened where the statue is located in St Peters Hill, Grantham, at about 11.10pm 28 May.
‘What is believed to be a tin of red paint was thrown on to the statue, damaging the surface.
‘A can of spray paint has then been used on the surrounding fencing to display a Hammer and Sickle.
‘The CCTV footage is not clear enough to show facial features, but we hope that the distinctive clothing, build, and gait of the individuals could help lead to identification.
‘If you can help, please call 101 quoting incident number 488 of 28 May.’
On the day the controversial statue was installed, university worker Jeremy Webster, 59, threw eggs at it and was later fined £90 under Section 5 of the Public Order Act.
South Kesteven District Council officially unveiled the statue at a £100,000 ceremony in the Iron Lady’s home town.
Council leader Kelham Cooke, said: ‘The memorial was paid for by public donations to the Public Memorials Appeal (PMA) and it is only right that they should have held a ceremony marking the completion of the project.
As well as covering the statue in red paint, the vandals pained a hammer and sickle on the side of a hording
The £300,000 memorial, pictured, has been attacked by vandals several times since it was erected last month
‘Following its installation on May 15 the memorial was expected to be a talking point and a focus for debate attracting a range of opinions, and that has proved to be the case.
‘Lady Thatcher polarised opinion in terms of her politics and her legacy but her achievement as Britain’s longest-serving Prime Minister of the 20th century and the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom should be recognised in her home town.
‘She was brought up and went to school in Grantham and I believe that having the memorial here will be a real positive for the town.
‘Attracting people to come here to look at the memorial and visit the exhibition about her in Grantham Museum will bring benefits for the local economy.’
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