Festival organisers have slammed the actions of an 18-year-old vandal who smashed almost an entire exhibition on display at a popular South Derbyshire community event attended by 6,000 visitors.
Daniel Jeffries and a friend smashed 11 of 12 portraits belonging to Melbourne Festival forcing ticket sellers to explain to thousands of visitors the following day that the art display had been vandalised.
Following the festival Ashby-based printing firm Onesystem Ltd, which also manufactures display products, reprinted the pictures free of charge and they are currently on display at Sharpe’s Pottery Museum.
Jeffries, of Swarkestone Road, Chellaston, was 17 at the time of the offence. He has since turned 18 and reporting restrictions banning the media from identifying him are automatically lifted.
Jeffries appeared at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates Court where he admitted intentionally damaging a display worth £300 belonging to Melbourne Festival on September 16. He also admitted breaching a two-year conditional discharge imposed in January 2017.
He was fined £87 and ordered to pay £85 court costs and a £20 victim surcharge.
A second 18-year-old man voluntarily took part in a police interview and was subsequently given a caution.
Sharon Brown, director of Melbourne Festival, said: "Putting on a big event is always stressful and we were extremely upset that these two young men had vandalised a display which the photographer and our volunteers had spent months planning and visitors on the Saturday had enjoyed."
Melbourne Festival Art and Architecture Trail has fast become a large community event held every September. Last year it was held over the weekend of September 16 and 17, attracting 5,000 to 6,000 visitors, and Melbourne residents opened their homes to host artists, with art and activities laid on around the streets.
One display in the Market Place was targeted by Jeffries and his friend on the evening of Saturday, September 16, and was part of a Heritage Lottery funded project For the Love of Lettuce, celebrating Melbourne’s Market Gardening Heritage.
The display included 12 portraits measuring 40cm by 50cm of three remaining market gardening families - F Heath & Sons, F Jackson & Son, W Sharp and Sons.
Mrs Brown said: "Daniel Jeffries and a friend smashed all but one picture. After the police came, a local resident cleared up all of the mess for us so that everywhere was tidy for the visitors to the festival on the Sunday.
"Unfortunately we were unable to replace the portraits. Many local people came to see them on the Sunday and the ticket sellers had to explain that they had been vandalised."
Following the festival, the portraits needed to be reprinted as they were due to be displayed at two further exhibitions.
Mrs Brown said: "Onesystem Ltd from Ashby came to our rescue. They printed them and refused to accept payment from Melbourne Festival when we explained what had happened."
The pictures are currently on display at Sharpe’s Pottery Museum, in West Street, Swadlincote, until February 26. They will also be hung at Melbourne Senior Citizen Centre from March 16 to 18 as part of a big For the Love of Lettuce exhibition which shares the photographs and memories of Melbourne’s Market Gardeners collected over the past year.
