Featured Image Credit: End UK Private Jets/ PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
Topics: Crime, UK News, NHS, Environment, Social Media
Poppy Bilderbeck
Topics: Crime, UK News, NHS, Environment, Social Media
An eco-activist who poured faeces on Sir Captain Tom Moore's statue is facing time in prison after pleading guilty to the offence.
On Friday, 30 September, 21-year-old Madeleine Budd from Manchester dumped faecal matter all over a war memorial of Sir Captain Tom Moore. Listen to her explain why she did it below:
The statue - located in Thistley Meadow, Hatton, south Derbyshire - was erected after Sir Captain Tom Moore became a national hero for walking laps of his garden just prior to his 100th birthday - during the coronavirus pandemic - raising a whopping £33 million for the NHS.
Today (4 October), Budd - who was protesting as part of End UK Private Jets - pleaded guilty to criminal damage to a war memorial.
Advert
Budd's offence was captured on camera and shared on End UK Private Jets' social media pages.
The 21-year-old had been part of an environmental protest for the organisation and was recorded committing the act while wearing a T-shirt which read 'End UK private jets'.
Prosecutor Jordan Pratt said: "The facts of the case is that on September 30, the defendant attended the location of Thistley Meadow in Hatton where there is a statue, a silhouette of Sir Captain Tom Moore."
While Pratt recognised the offence 'lasted for a short amount of time' and was only '30 seconds in length,' the prosecutor resolved the 'impact of this offence is substantial'.
Advert
The prosecutor also stated his belief the offence was likely planned in advance given the 'large amount of human faeces' Budd 'armed herself with'.
Pratt resolved the act was not only 'hugely disrespectful' and 'abhorrent', but had a damaging impact on the rest of society.
Pratt stated: "I do not need to remind the court of the impact that Sir Tom had. He was a figurehead that a number of people rallied around in a fundraising effort that raised tens of millions of pounds in the height of the pandemic."
Budd breached a conditional discharge for another offence in April by defacing the statue.
Advert
While Pratt denied there was any indicator of Budd being paid to commit the act, the prosecutor resolved the 21-year-old 'will turn up and get involved in anything rather than a specific cause'.
Budd's solicitor, Francesca Cociani, argued that if the 21-year-old remains at her residence, agrees to not go to any more protests and checks in at police stations, then she should be allowed conditional bail.
However, in light of Budd's past offences, District Judge Louisa Cieciora denied the application.
The date for Budd's sentencing has yet to be released.
Advert
However, Judge Cieciora noted the 21-year-old could face a minimum jail sentence of one year and six months for the crime.