"Disgusting"

Thursday 11 April 2024

Members of the public have reacted with shock and anger, after one of the island's statues was covered in pink paint.

The statue of Queen Victoria stands in a prominent position in Candie Gardens, looking out across St Peter Port Harbour.

It was discovered to be covered in the pink substance this morning and Guernsey Police are investigating. 

"Sometime between 4pm on the 10th April and 8am this morning someone has thrown red/pink paint, or a similar substance, on to the front of the Queen Victoria statue at the top of Candie Gardens, behind the museum," a police spokesperson said.

A window on a nearby outbuilding is believed to have also been damaged in the same incident. 

When the alleged vandalism was announced by Bailiwick Law Enforcement on Facebook some of the first comments decried the incident as "disgusting", "absolutely disgusting", and "disrespectful".

Shaun Broughton of Event Hire Guernsey said his company would be pleased to assist with the clean up work.

"Event Hire would be happy to donate the use of a cherry picker to help with the cleaning of the statue. Absolutely dismayed to see this," he wrote, adding: "We do the annual clean and it’s a job we look forward to."

Steph Shore said that her company "would be happy to carry out an inspection with regards to carrying out the removal of the substance with our specialist equipment free of charge".

In the meantime, Guernsey Police are investigating with any witnesses or anyone else with any information asked to contact the Sergeant's office on 222222 with the referencing OC2400002829.

Pictured top: The Queen Victoria statue at Candie Gardens today, and previously.