Dudley schoolgirl given referral order for spraying Wolverhampton war memorial
A schoolgirl who spray-painted graffiti on a cenotaph in Wolverhampton hours before a ceremony to remember fallen soldiers has been given a nine-month referral order.
The 14-year-old was told that the vandalism at the war memorial in Wolverhampton, condemned as "disgusting" by local veterans' groups, had brought shame on her family.
Magistrates at Wolverhampton Youth Court warned the teenager that she could be re-sentenced if she fails to comply with the referral order, and also ordered her mother to pay £780 in compensation.
Accompanied by her mother, uncle and sister, the defendant told the court she was sorry for and disgusted by her actions in defacing the memorial last month.
A previous hearing was told that a lewd image, a nickname and "I love Luke" were daubed on and near the cenotaph in pink paint, leaving the local council with a £1,128 bill to clean the listed sandstone memorial.
Police inquiries led to the defendant's home in Dudley and she admitted her role in the damage after her mother told police she had found a can of paint in a bag.
The graffiti was discovered in St Peter's Square in early October as veterans from the Burma Star Association gathered for a reception nearby.
The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to a charge of criminal damage at a previous hearing. Magistrates accepted that the youngster's mother had "done her level best" to control her daughter, who sat three seats away from her in front of the dock.
The teenager, who showed no emotion as she was sentenced, claimed she was not fully aware of what the cenotaph was or what it represented.
Passing sentence, chairman of the bench Sandy Gough told the 14-year-old: "I think it's a despicable act that you did at the war memorial and I hope that in the future you will come to learn what you have done. As this is your first offence and you pleaded guilty, we are going to make a referral order."
