Manchester eco warrior dubbed environmentalist 'gun for hire' faces jail for attacking Captain Tom Moore memorial

A Manchester eco warrior is facing jail after pleading guilty to pouring faeces over a memorial for Sir Captain Tom Moore.

Madeleine Budd, 21, from Longsight, damaged the life-sized statue of the World War Two veteran in Thistley Meadow, Hatton, south Derbyshire on Friday last week.

She appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court this morning (Tuesday) wearing a dark jumper and spoke quietly to confirm her name, address, date of birth and enter a guilty plea to criminal damage.

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Derbyshire Police charged Budd on Monday with criminal damage to a war memorial to the value of £200 belonging to AGC Fabrications, whose managing director Austin Cox gifted the statue to Thistley Meadow.

Sir Tom shot to national fame when he raised almost £33m for NHS charities during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic by walking laps of his garden in the run up to his 100th birthday. He was later knighted by the Queen before he died with Covid-19 in February 2021.

Prosecutor Jordan Pratt told the court: "The facts of the case is that on September 30 the defendant attended the location of Thistley Meadow in Hatton where there is a statue, a silhouette of Sir Captain Tom Moore."

Mr Pratt said Budd, of of Kedleston Avenue, Longsight, approached and 'poured a bucket of human faeces all over the statue'. Budd was wearing a t-shirt with the slogan 'End UK private jets', he said.

Mr Pratt said the incident was filmed and shared on social media as part of an environmental protest.

"This offence lasted for a short amount of time, it is only 30 seconds in length but the impact of this offence is substantial," he said.

"This is an abhorrent act. I do not need to