Two engineers punished over breaking and stealing Paddington Bear

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Two engineers punished over breaking and stealing Paddington Bear

Writer: Heidi Hsia

Paddington Bear represents kindness, tolerance and more

27 Mar - Two men, who turned out to be Royal Air Force (RAF) engineers, have been reprimanded by a judge after they were found guilty of breaking a Paddington Bear statue in half and stealing it.

22-year-olds Daniel Heath and William Lawrence, who are based at RAF Odiham in Hampshire, admitted to the criminal damage at Reading Magistrates' Court for the offence that had since made the news around the globe in early March.

The two were revealed to be drunk while they were damaging the beloved statue at 2AM on 2 March. They then took it in a taxi back to RAF Odiham.

Heath and Lawrence were drunk when they decided to break the bear off his chair

An eerie looking hollow figure is what is left of Paddington after the theft

District judge Sam Goozee, who gave the two a good lashing, said that Paddington Bear represents kindness, tolerance and promotes integration and acceptance in the society.

"His famous label attached to his duffle coat says 'please look after this bear'. On the night of the 2nd of March 2025, your actions were the antithesis of everything Paddington stands for. Your actions lacked respect and integrity, two values you should uphold as members of the armed forces," he expressed.

Heath and Lawrence were sentenced to a 12-month community order after admitting criminal damage. They were also ordered to pay £2,725 to cover the cost of repairs.

The damaged statue was recovered but a date for its return has yet to be confirmed.