Two acts of malicious damage threatened Inverell’s Christmas spirit when the town’s decorations were vandalised during the holiday season.
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One of the trio of red trees placed on the Otho and Byron Street roundabout was noticeably bent just before Christmas on December 23. Intruders broke into the town’s large Christmas tree enclosure in front of Tourism Inverell on New Year’s Eve.
Screenshots from a private video, which appeared to depict two men breaking through the fence, were distributed by Tourism Inverell, in the hopes of identifying the alleged perpetrators. Inverell Shire Council general manager Paul Henry said there were many responses from upset locals.
“That has resulted in information being provided to the police and the matter’s now being dealt with by the police,” he said.
Sergeant Ross Chilcott said an offender had been identified and that charges of malicious damage will be laid. He said that investigations into the vandalism of the roundabout decoration were ongoing.
The decorations are valued at around $45,000, and Mr Henry said any repairs would be costly.
“It was extremely disappointing to see the damage.”