Vandals damage Terry Jones statue

Just weeks after it was unveiled in Colwyn Bay

Vandals have damaged the sculpture honouring Monty Python’s Terry Jones just weeks after it was installed in Colwyn Bay.

Two door knockers were torn off the piano being played by the comedian in the guise of his Nude Organist alter-ego.

‌Llandudno-based sculptor Nick Elphick, who designed the bronze, noticed the damage on a visit this week, but revealed the broken parts had been recovered and could be reattached.

Posting to Facebook, he said he was ‘very, very sad… I'm actually gutted’.

But he added: ‘There are CCTV cameras completely on it. So whoever's done it, will be seen.’

He estimated it would cost about £1,000 to repair, but said: ‘My concern is that this was [an] incredibly tight budget to get this done. We've all really put our hearts and souls into this and I haven't made a profit off of this.’

The statue was created following a £120,000 crowdfunding campaign backed by Jones’s family.

Elphick told the BBC that while he was ‘a little bit depressed’ by the damage, Jones's daughter, Sally, ‘seemed very upset’.

The damaged pieces were a reference to the talking door-knockers in the 1986 fantasy film Labyrinth which Jones co-wrote.

Bay of Colwyn town councillor Tina Lee posted: ‘This is disappointing to say the least. Thank goodness CCTV cameras are there.’

Jones died in 2020 aged 77 from a rare form of dementia. The statue was unveiled late last month with Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Suzy Eddie Izzard, Carol Cleveland, and hundreds of fans, many in fancy dress, in attendance.