‘Senseless drunk vandal’, 43, is arrested for ‘pouring beer over the Cenotaph in Sydney’s Martin Place, pulling the flowers from a memorial wreath and putting a grubby cigarette in the soldier’s gun’
- Man charged after allegedly defacing a war memorial in Sydney’s Martin Place
- A 43-year-old man was allegedly seen on CCTV at about 9.30pm on Thursday
- Allegedly poured beer over statue of soldier and put cigarette lighter on its arm
- Police allege he removed flowers from wreath and put them in the statue’s hand
A man has been charged after allegedly pouring beer over a statue of a soldier and putting a cigarette lighter on its arm at a Sydney war memorial.
The 43-year-old was allegedly seen on CCTV at about 9.30pm on Thursday removing flowers from a wreath and putting them in the statue’s hand at the Martin Place Cenotaph.
He also allegedly placed a cigarette lighter on the statue’s arm, put a cigarette in its rifle and then poured beer on its feet.
The man was arrested nearby and charged with committing an offensive act in or on a war memorial and wilfully damaging or defacing a protected place.
A man allegedly poured beer over a statue of a soldier and putting a cigarette lighter on its arm at this Sydney war memorial

A 43-year-old man was allegedly seen on CCTV at about 9.30pm on Thursday, removing flowers from a wreath and putting them in the statue’s hand
Inspector Gary Coffey described the alleged incident as ‘pretty disappointing stuff’.
‘There is no excuse for his behaviour… you really can’t give a reasonable explanation of why you would behave like this,’ he told Nine News.
‘The Cenotaph is a place of memorial.’
The network reported the man was intoxicated at the time of his alleged offence.

Sydney’s dawn service is held at the Cenotaph war memorial in Martin Place on Remembrance Day each year

Inspector Gary Coffey (pictured) described the alleged incident as ‘pretty disappointing stuff’
Sydney’s dawn service is held at the site on Remembrance Day each year.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian thanked police for their ‘quick action’ after the ‘senseless act of vandalism’.
‘An attack on any war memorial is an attack on Australian values and the heroic legacy of our veterans,’ Ms Berejiklian wrote on Twitter.
The man has been granted conditional bail and is due to appear at the Downing Centre Local Court on September 5.


The man allegedly poured beer on the feet of the statue of the soldier (left) and is accused of placing a cigarette in its rifle (right)
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