November 24, 2014 2.01 pm This story is over 111 months old

Two offenders’ actions help Lincoln Drill Hall get pantomime sign interpreter

Restorative reward: After to young men damaged a sign at Lincoln Drill Hall, they paid up for the crime and the money was used to hire a sign interpreter for a panto.

Two young men’s repayment after committing a crime in Lincoln have led to one of Lincoln Drill Hall’s pantomime showings also having a sign language interpreter.

The incident happened in the early hours of November 2, when two males aged 19 and 20 chose to rip the Drill Hall’s 10ft by 3ft vinyl advertising sign in two.

A witness helped police officers with information, and they were able to chase and catch the offenders. The two men admitted their guilt and were remorseful for their actions.

The victim, the venue’s Chief Executive Chris Kirkwood, decided that restorative justice should be considered.

Restorative justice sees police establish what happened, how the harm affects people and what can be done to put things right.

For the Drill Hall, the two men paid back the costs of a broken banner, but due to the venue having a spare, the money was put towards having a signed performance of the Christmas pantomime.

In his police statement, one offender said: “I didn’t think at the time but I understand it was stupid, I want to pay for the damage.”

The officer in charge of the case, PC Charlotte Harmon, added: “From my point of view it was a really fantastic example of restorative justice and I was pleased with the outcome.

“It gave me some job satisfaction and it was nice to know that it benefited the local community. I had really good support from the suspects and victim also.”

The signed performance of Aladdin will be on December 13 at 2pm.