Council had installed CCTV for Havelock statue but say 'nothing is immediately apparent' on footage after vandalism

Although CCTV cameras were installed to monitor the Havelock statue in Mowbray Park, the council has said that nothing ‘immediately apparent’ was caught on camera after vandals daubed the statue with graffiti .

Overnight between Monday June 15 and Tuesday June 16 the statue of Sunderland general Henry Havelock was vandalised with the words ‘racist’ and ‘parasite’ scrawled across the based in red paint.

Last week the statue had been added to the 'Topple the Racists' list, which includes monuments which campaigners claim ‘celebrate slavery and racism’ and was set up after a statue of slave trader, Edward Colston, was pushed into a river by protesters in Bristol.

Councillor Michael Mordey Deputy Leader, Sunderland City Council has condemned the vandalism and said that CCTV footage has been passed to the police.

He said: “We had already put CCTV in place to monitor the statue as soon as we found it was on a target list, and although nothing is immediately apparent from the camera footage, we will be passing it to Northumbria Police for further investigation.

“This is a wanton act of vandalism on a historic statue in one of our most beautiful parks.

“We have already made clear that as a listening council we take on board the views of the public and that should we be requested to look again at our monuments, statues and public commemorations, we will do that and consult further. Subject to consultation with the public of Sunderland, we would then look to reach a consensus.

“We absolutely do not tolerate vandalism to our statues and if we find out who did this, we will prosecute them.”

Sunderland City Council had already vowed to have a ‘conversation’ with the public on the future of Wearside’s monuments, including the Havelock statue.

Two opposing petitions have been set up in connection with the statue of the British Empire military general who is known for leading the army in battles in India in the 1800s.

One petition is calling for a review into the statue while another is calling for the statue to remain in place and be protected from harm.

Crowds had gathered in Mowbray Park on Saturday, June 13 to guard the war memorial which is close to the Havelock statue as violent scenes broke out in cities across the UK.

Sunderland City Council staff cleaned the statue of the graffiti on Tuesday Morning.

Police are investigation the vandalism, a Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “Shortly after 9am today, Tuesday, June 16, we received a report of criminal damage in Mowbray Park, Sunderland.

“It was reported that overnight offenders had defaced a statue with graffiti.

“An investigation is ongoing into the incident. Anyone with information is asked to ring 101 or contact us via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of our website quoting reference 192 160620.”

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