Vandalised Paddington Bear statue to return to town

A Paddington bear statue which was destroyed by vandals is to be fully repaired, officials said, bringing the bear “back to the town that loves him so dearly”.

The newly installed statue in Newbury, Berkshire, was damaged on March 2 when two Royal Air Force engineers broke it after a night out and made off with part of it.

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.

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.

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 to the court showed the men approaching the Paddington Bear statue late at night before ripping the bear off its bench and walking away with it.

District judge Sam Goozee condemned Heath and Lawrence’s actions, calling them “the antithesis of everything Paddington stands for”.

As part of the unveiling, children are being encouraged to write a letter welcoming Paddington back to the town.

The repaired and repainted statue will be unveiled in a ceremony on Wednesday at 11.30am on Northbrook Street, Newbury.

Published: 07/04/2025 by Radio NewsHub