July 21, 2021 9.47 am This story is over 33 months old

Lincoln charity imp beheaded in shocking overnight attack

The imp was a celebration of key workers and in aid of St Barnabas Hospice

The original imp was destroyed.

A Lincoln imp sculpture valued at up to £20,000 has been beheaded by a mindless vandal who attacked the charity sculpture overnight.

The incident, in Guildhall Street, was caught on CCTV and police have made an arrest this morning.

People in the area found the Imp smashed in half with the head of the sculpture discarded on the pavement. It has since been removed.

Money raised from the auction of the Community Imp at the end of the Lincoln Imp Trail would have gone to Lincolnshire charity St Barnabas Hospice.

The imp was created by local artist Sian Bristow and a local schoolgirl and was a celebration of all of the key workers and their hard work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The shocking damage.

Lincoln Business Improvement Group CEO Sarah Loftus, who organised the trail, told The Lincolnite: “I’m fuming, all the hard work that’s gone into this, it’s mindless idiots that do something like this.

“What possesses them to think it’s acceptable? The trail had been putting a smile on people’s faces.

“After everything the key workers have done, to target this one is shocking.

“The problem is, we don’t know what to do with the trail now – we don’t know if it’s fixable.

“The damage caused is about £15,000 to £20,000, when you add up everything.

“This has had a massive impact. We will take them to court and we will do whatever it takes to recoup the cost.”

The imp has now been removed by Lincoln BIG.

The community imp targeted by the vandals was sponsored by Lincolnshire Live.

Resident Wendy Beresford said: “It’s shocking really, we came down here this morning and found half an imp.

“I did the full trail last week with my grandson and it was lovely, why would anyone do this?”

And Malcolm Beresford said: “It’s a real shame to walk down here and see this. It’s just mindless vandalism.”

The Lincolnite has contacted Lincolnshire Police for a comment. This story will be updated when we know more about the arrest.

No15 Community Imp, when it was first unveiled