Two offshore workers have been ordered to start saving after a drunken prank led to them breaking and stealing part of a prominent Aberdeen statue.
Steven Kindness and Dean Lawrie thought it would be amusing if Lawrie climbed upon the Edward VII statue situated on Aberdeen’s Union Terrace.
However in doing so he broke off two of the granite King’s fingers and part of his staff.
After maliciously damaging the council property the pair then grabbed part of the staff before walking away with it.
Yesterday, Kindness appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted theft of the granite staff. His co-accused Lawrie, who is currently offshore, previously pled guilty by letter to causing the malicious damage and theft of the staff.
The court heard that initially the damage caused to the statue had been estimated to cost around £8,000 to repair however on further inspection council officials now believe it could cost up to £30,000.
Fiscal depute Karen Dow said Aberdeen City Council was requesting a compensation order be imposed as a penalty.
Reading from part of Lawrie’s letter yesterday Sheriff Annella Cowan said he was “truly sorry” for his actions and accepted that he would have to “suffer the consequences” for his reckless actions.
However she told Kindness, 26, of 6 Auldearn Road, Aberdeen, that he had better start to figure out how they were going to pay for the damage they caused.
Sheriff Cowan deferred sentence on Lawrie, 25, of 3 Scylla Grove, Cove, and Kindness until next month to allow for both oil workers to be onshore at the same time.
The granite sculpture, on the corner of Union Street and Union Terrace, was designed by Alfred Drury and carved by James Philip.