FOUR PEOPLE accused of toppling the statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol have pleaded not guilty to criminal damage in court this morning.
The statue of the 17th century merchant was removed from its plinth and pushed into Bristol Harbour during the Black Lives Matter protests on June 7.
Rhian Graham, 29, Milo Ponsford, 25, Jake Skuse, 32, and Sage Willoughby, 21, have appeared in Bristol magistrates court today over the incident.
The foursome entered not guilty pleas and asked for their case to be tried by a jury.
Following protests last summer, Bristol City Council later recovered the statue of Colston and announced that it would now be kept in a museum.
The decision comes after the killing of George Floyd in the US which sparked nationwide BLM protests throughout the UK.
During court proceedings, District Judge Lynne Graham read the charge to the defendants, who were accused of “damaging the statue of Edward Colston and a plinth belonging to Bristol City Council.”
The value of the toppled statue remains unknown, the court heard.
The defendants also elected for a crown court trial and the judge sent the case for a later hearing at Bristol Crown Court on February 8.
Graham, Ponsford, Skuse, and Willoughby, who all gave addresses in the Bristol area, were freed on unconditional bail until the next hearing.
Police warned protesters not to gather outside court, and many heeded the warning with 150 taking part in a virtual protest online.
However, four people were arrested – two men aged 43 and 63 and two women aged 59 and 60.
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