British vandal identified: scrawled his name on the ancient wall of the Colosseum

Ivan from Bristol faces up to 5 years and a heavy fine

An English tourist is suspected of carving his name on the wall of the Colosseum in Rome. The suspected man, reportedly from Bristol, could face up to five years in prison for the widely condemned act of vandalism.

Italian police, after a four-day search, identified a man from England as the alleged culprit of an inscription carved on the wall of the Colosseum.

As The Guardian recalls, a young man dressed in a blue flowered shirt was filmed by an eyewitness of his misdeeds last Friday as he scrawled his name and that of his girlfriend with a key on the inside wall of an ancient monument dating back some 2,000 years. . If found guilty, the suspect could face a hefty fine and jail time under Italy’s strict laws on the protection of cultural heritage.

Video footage of the scene, titled “Foolish Tourist Carving Name at Colosseum in Rome,” was uploaded to YouTube and then widely circulated on social media, eventually alerting the police to the incident and sparking widespread condemnation.

The police did not name the suspect, although the inscription – “Ivan + Hayley 23” – gives a strong lead.

Britain’s Ivan is a fitness instructor who lives in Bristol, according to Italian press reports on Thursday. The police will reportedly send a note to the suspect’s home address saying he is under investigation after they have spent the past few days going through photos and security footage at the Colosseum. According to Il Messaggero, the woman is not under investigation.

If found guilty, the Brit faces a fine of at least €15,000 (£12,900) and a prison sentence of up to five years.

Italian Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano thanked the police for identifying the alleged perpetrator of the “uncivilized and absurd act committed in the Colosseum.”

“It was an act that offended those around the world who appreciate the value of archeology, monuments and history,” added the head of the Italian Ministry of Culture. “Now I hope that justice will prevail by rigorously applying the laws.”

This is not the first time that the Colosseum has become the object of modern vandals in recent years.

So, recalls The Guardian, in September 2020, a 32-year-old man from Ireland was allegedly caught carving his initials with a metal tip on a column on the first level of the monument. The Irishman was arrested and charged with damaging a historic landmark.

But his example was contagious: supposedly a month later, a 14-year-old German girl was caught doing the same thing.