Vandals who destroyed a park bench inspired by the hit Ricky Gervais Netflix show After Life are being hunted by police, with them being described by Nottinghamshire Police as 'callous'. Two benches arrived in Nottingham in January, one in the Arboretum and one in Highfields Park, and have previously been described as a "beautiful reminder of those who we've lost".
It was to mark the launch of season 3 of the show, and the benches were commissioned alongside suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) - each inscribed with the quote from the series "Hope is Everything". Netflix donated a total of 25 benches to local councils around the United Kingdom.
But on Sunday (May 22), the bench was destroyed with planks of wood lying on top of each other. And Nottinghamshire Live readers have expressed their disgust at what has happened, with Nottinghamshire Police now launching an investigation to find the people responsible.
Read more: Nottingham Forest decision on showing Championship play-off final at City Ground
Inspector Paul Ferguson, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "It's sickening that someone would destroy this bench which provided people with a place for quiet reflection. It was completely destroyed, with damaged parts left strewn on the park.
"Someone will know who was responsible. The bench was found damaged on Sunday morning although the exact time the damage was caused is unknown.
"We are urging anyone who saw what happened, who may have recorded footage of the incident or who has any other information which could assist us with our ongoing enquiries to please get in touch with us. We will do everything to identify the offenders who have done this despicable act."
Nottingham City Councillor Audra Wynter, who represents Labour for Bestwood and is the portfolio holder for highways, transport and parks, said: "We were devastated to see that the After Life bench which has recently been installed at the Arboretum was destroyed over the weekend. It's been a symbol of hope and support to many people off the back of the Netflix series with Ricky Gervais which shone a light on loss, bereavement and mental health.
"This is mindless vandalism and in no way reflects how people in Nottingham look out for each other. We thank the member of public who alerted us to this and took the time to collect all the damaged sections. The next step will be to look at how we can replace this bench as quickly as possible."
Anyone with any information about the incident is urged to call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting crime occurrence 22000294280.
