RAF Engineers Fined for Destroying Paddington Statue

Two Royal Air Force engineers, Daniel Heath and William Lawrence, both aged 22, have been fined £2,725 each and sentenced to a 12-month community order after destroying a Paddington Bear statue in Newbury, Berkshire. The incident occurred on March 2, 2025, when the pair, intoxicated after a night out, attempted to lift the statue, causing it to break. They then carried the broken statue to a taxi, which took them to their base at RAF Odiham. The statue was part of the Paddington Visits Trail, a cultural initiative celebrating the work of Michael Bond, the creator of Paddington Bear, who was born in Newbury. The act was condemned by District Judge Sam Goozee as 'wanton vandalism,' and the incident has caused significant upset in the local community. The defendants admitted to the criminal damage, and efforts are underway to have the statue repaired by the original artist.