4 Mar - Two men have now been arrested following the theft and vandalism committed towards a Paddington Bear statue in England's Newbury, Berkshire. According to the Thames Valley Police, the sculpture, which has the Peruvian bear holding his marmalade sandwich, was stolen from its seat in Northbrook Street on 2 March at about 2AM, though it has now been recovered.
Insp Alan Hawkett said, "The Paddington Bear statue is a beloved part of Newbury so we have been doing everything we can to locate it and the offenders." The police force added that Paddington was "heading to Newbury police station for a much-needed marmalade sandwich", and that they would keep the sculpture safe and support its restoration.
The two men were only identified as 22-year-old Basingstoke lads. The statue was one of the 23 statues that were placed across the UK last year as part of the Paddington Visits trail, ahead of the film "Paddington in Peru".