CCTV Footage Released By Police After Thatcher Statue Is Vandalised For Second Time
Police have ramped up their efforts to find the suspects who vandalised a Margaret Thatcher statue. Catch the recently released CCTV footage here:
The Thatcher statue in St Peters Hill, Grantham, Lincolnshire - where Thatcher was born in 1925 - was only erected a few weeks ago on 15 May, yet it has already come under two attacks.
Despite being placed on a 10ft (3m) plinth to try and prevent vandals from reaching it, the statue was pelted with eggs on the day it was first put up. The second attack saw it splattered with red paint on Saturday 28 May.
Advert
Police have since released CCTV footage from the latest attack.
The CCTV footage reveals two figures dressed head-to-toe in black, faces covered by masks and wearing hats, loitering in an area of trees.
One figure has white stripes running down their trousers, and the other is wearing shoes branded with a red Nike logo.
Police said they hope the 'distinctive clothing, build, and gait of the individuals could help lead to identification'.
One of the figures also appears to be clutching something in a white plastic bag.
The recording is accompanied by the caption: "CCTV footage of individuals we believe could help us with our enquiries into damage of the Margaret Thatcher statue."
In its original statement on the incident, Lincolnshire police noted it had received 'reports of a person shown on CCTV acting suspiciously near the site'.
The statement continued: "Officers attended and found graffiti had been spray painted onto the barriers surrounding the statue, no damage was thought to have been caused to the statue itself.
"This is being treated as criminal damage and an enquiry is ongoing."
It has since been revealed that the latest incident of vandalism has caused damage to the surface of the sculpture.
Any potential witnesses of the second attack have been encouraged to call 101 and quote the incident support number 488 of 28 May.
Thatcher was the leader of the Conservative Party 1975 to 1990.
She was the Prime Minister of Britain from 1979 to 1990.
During her time as PM, Thatcher tried to control and contain the trade union movement - most exemplified in the UK's miner strike of 1984-1985 - portrayed in 2000 classic Billy Elliot.
Thatcher received fierce backlash from those on the left of British politics over her attempts to try and reform the UK's trade unions.
Such attempts are also why Thatcher remains such a controversial figure to this day - and why people are chucking eggs and red paint at her statue.
Poppy Bilderbeck