Vandals pour paint over memorial
Saturday 31st October 2009, 10:35AM GMT.
Shameless vandals have daubed black paint across a war memorial in the Black Country, just over a week before Remembrance Sunday services to honour fallen servicemen.
Council workers had already scrubbed one lot of the paint off the monument in Victoria Park, Tipton, but within hours the vandals had struck again, pouring the paint over every side of the monument and blocking out the inscription.
Poppy appeal collector Malcolm Steventon was on his way to sell poppies at Co-op near to the park yesterday morning when he saw workers attempting to clean black paint off the cenotaph.
As he returned home, he saw it had been attacked with black paint once more.
Mr Steventon, aged 67, of Tipton, who served with the Territorial Army Staffs Armoury, said: “It’s heartbreaking to see it.
“It’s been done twice in a day. It has happened before and now they’ve done it again. It makes you wonder what on earth is going on.
“They had a really good go at it, it was completely covered, all the way round it.”
The cenotaph is due to be the centre of a service next week on Remembrance Sunday, with people gathering from 10.45am ready for a minute’s silence at 11am.
Sandwell Council has been informed, and workers will attempt to remove it in time for the service.
Stupidity
It is not the first time that it has been vandalised at this time of year. Ray Brothwood, from Tipton Civic Society, said: “I remember a couple of years ago we came along on the morning for the Remembrance Service and the wreaths that people had already laid down had been thrown in the pool.
“I had to fish them out before everyone got there and put them back so people didn’t notice what had happened, it would have been very upsetting for them.”
He added: “It’s very sad. It’s pure stupidity, at this time of year it makes it even worse because they know they are going to be used for the services, that’s why they do it I suppose.”
By Lucy Townsend
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If these thugs are caught shove them on the front line and see how they compare.
It makes you sick to think some mindless idiots can do this!
People gave there lives and still are so they can enjoy there freedom in safety and this is not the thanks they deserve.
Gob Bless Her Majesty’s Armed Forces (Past & Present) You are owed a debt of honour that can never be repaid
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What absolute mindless cretins! If they can be caught I would make them lick the paint off and then give them a couple of hundred hours community service. That should keep them out of trouble for a while….
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I don’t believe this has been done by mindless vandals for one minute, its deliberately been done. Why no CCTV in place??? are police and councils to busy with parking tickets to be bothered??.
These people gave their lives AS YOUNGSTERS so we could live, what a waste of good lives.
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What nasty, vile people we have in our society. How do they have the nerve to do it? CCTV cameras should be erected nearby and the vandals named and shamed if they do it again. I’m disgusted.
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And dont the police know who this is? Its pretty obvious I would say but due to political correctness leading to gross stupidity no one will be blamed or brought to book. It shows the total lack of respect that people have for our laws, elders and society in general that protects them and serves them and their families.
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These people should be ashamed of themselves, what could they possibly hope to achieve by destroying a memorial for fallen heros?
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it’s a pity they can’t be found and put in stocks!!!!
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john my thoughts exactly
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This is an absolute disgrace! Every year we see line after line of proud service men and women, the lucky ones, because they are alive to march.
Thousands died to give these morans the right to do nothing, get drunk, abuse drugs, annoy old folk, was it worth fighting and dying for? I do not think so.
If there is another conflict send these wasters first even God would disown them!
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i’ve always lived near tipton park,and i’ve never seen such hate for our heroes of yesteryear and today’s braves,we in tipton know who the lowlifes are but will the police do anything, i won’t hold my breathe.
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I used to live in park lane east and took my kids to the park and taught them what the memorial was for and i am very ashamed of what this community has become,as other comments have stated we all know who the low lifes are but nothing will be done,p.s.I am 42 and my kids are four and they know to respect the elderly and property and they wear the poppy with respect,because I am grateful for those who died for us past and present.
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Total and utter disgrace! What the hell is the country coming to? We are too lenient on these mindless little wimps!
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I have family that live in this area and everyone in the community knows who is responsible for this but the police make any effort to catch the perpetuaters.
Due to political correctness the police do not want to take any action in case it causes tensions in the community
However, there should be equality of law for everyone in the community otherwise there will only be cause more problems in the long run
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well said raj
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The council should put the money up for a reward rather than use it to clean it once again. Not much point having a police force if they don’t police the community.
These morons need to answer for their actions and until they do nothing will be solved.
So what happens when a few vigilantes try to take back control?
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The kids of today have no respect & I agree with some of the other comments, locals know who it is but the police turn a blind eye because of the trouble it could cause in such a sensitive area of Tipton.
The lowlifes need to be taught a lesson
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Despicable people!
They should be made to face the horrors of war IMHO, nasty selfish little *&£@!
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This is actually common in Titpton..one only has to read this paper to see the countless reports of vandalism in this town. It’s no longer a place people want to live, and it’s made worse by the fact Tipton people have a police station that just sits there, looking nice until it’s time to clock off, apparently. You then wonder why we read about these kind of incidents..and the courts? Joke sentences in favour or not rocking the political boat.
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If it wasn’t for those men that gave their lives we would be living in an Ayrian world with no diversity, those men made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom of everybody to live where they want to, worship whatever made up god they want to etc.. Every Creed, colour and race in the whole world really is in their debt.
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