Four people were yesterday charged with committing criminal damage to Edward Colston’s statue in Bristol.
Rhian Graham, 29, Milo Ponsford, 25, Jake Skuse, 32, and Sage Willoughby, 21, were all charged with criminal damage, the Crown Prosecution Service has confirmed.
The charges came after a review of the evidence, which was provided by Avon and Somerset Police. Proceedings are now taking place against the four people.
The statue they are charged with damaging is that of Edward Colston, a 17th-century slave trader and philanthropist.
The statue, which stood close to Bristol Harbour and was pulled down and pushed into the harbour as an act of protest during the Black Lives Matter (BLM) riots in June.
Across the UK, many other statues of figures who had links to the British Empire or other actions deemed controversial by current morality today were also attacked.
Five other men were also charged in October for taking part in the toppling, but received a £100 fine and accepted a conditional caution.
The group of five have accepted a ‘conditional caution’, meaning they will receive a criminal record but avoid prosecution in the courts and any further punishment.
As part of the caution, they were ordered to do two hours of ‘environmental improvement work’ and answer a questionnaire on local history.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) reminded everyone that all four people charged are entitled to a fair trial.
