Police are hunting for a thief who destroyed and stole parts of a brand new Anzac statue outside a Melbourne RSL club days before it was due to be unveiled.
Victoria Police said the memorial at Clayton RSL on Carinish Road was targeted at about 1.30am on July 24.
Detectives believe the statue, which is valued at about $18,000 and was made up of a slouch hat on top of a rifle and two military boots, was torn down using physical force.
The offender then left with the bronze hat and rifle.
Police released images of the damage and a person they believe may be able to assist with their enquires – a man wearing a black hoodie and a face-covering.
Clayton RSL President Michael Newbond called the theft “deeply disappointing”, and said the RSL will attempt to restore the statue.
“Only days before we are to unveil a statue honouring our past defence personnel, this morning we were confronted with an act of senseless vandalism,” he wrote on social media.
“The majority of the statue has been broken off and stolen. This memorial was intended as a tribute to the courage and sacrifice of our service men and women, a place for reflection and gratitude.
“To see it desecrated like this is both heartbreaking and infuriating.”
The incident comes after a series of anti-Australian attacks on monuments around Australia, with Melbourne at the epicentre of the crime wave.
In May an Anzac memorial statue in Ipswich was beheaded, and in the lead-up to Australia Day two colonial monuments in Melbourne were vandalised and defaced by far-left extremists.
Header image: Left, the damaged statue (Facebook). Right, the man who may be able to assist police with their enquiries (Victoria Police).
