Vandals wreck Market Deeping Model Railway exhibition

[snapper]

The level of destruction is something else     

 

https://www.stamfordmercury.co.uk/news/photos-of-the-damage-vandals-broke-into-stamford-welland-academy-9070669/

some more pictures here, it must be heartbreaking to see your work reduced to this.

 

https://www.mdmrc.org/stamford-show-2019.html

[Robert Shrives]

Yes - saw this via Facebook and Warley Club coms network.   Blood boils at the wanton damage and it will put up the insurance costs across the "industry" for ever. Let alone the trauma for all involved seeing years of work trashed  and the traders having to sort and repack without earning a penny. 

It has to be said that four lamposts are waiting some swinging adornments  and clearly local villages are missing four idiots of massive proportions - I am sure there is a heartfelt back story to the youths lives but the lack of responsibility by themelves and their keepers  to me does see a total loss of human rights protections - and this is just a hobby I wonder what else they have wrecking in earlier times around the town.  

Mad times !

Robert     

[JasonB]

5 minutes alone with them. That's all I'd need. 

[DiveController]

I have no words other than what has already been expressed. There is something wrong with these people and the society that tolerates this. I'm just going to stop there.

[Noel]

Darwin. There are still some apes amongst society.

[Old Blarney]

Noel,

Please don't insult Apes.  They live in family Groups, care for one-and-other, look after their offspring and discipline them for wrongdoing.  The perpetrators who illegally entered the premises where this Model Railway Exhibition was being held, and then set about destroying the exhibition totally lack any intelligence, intellect,  respect or understanding. If any of them have anything, that they hold dear to them, perhaps, it should be taken from them and destroyed in their presence.  Perhaps, that would shoe them the damage they have caused!

 

Edited May 19, 2019 by Old Blarney

[Broithe]

Of course, humans are apes.

 

The internet has failed to throw up a case of non-human apes vandalising a railway exhibition.

 

In general, non-human apes are fairly innocuous chaps - monkeys are much more easily led astray.

[JasonB]

Nice gesture by Mr Stewart 

https://www.irishmirror.ie/showbiz/celebrity-news/rod-stewart-donates-10000-after-16174397 

[banntry]

Sleaford Model Railway club were going to take 2 layouts to the exhibition-luckily we were going down early Saturday. This moronic act

happened at 4am Saturday morning. Market Deeping club are a great bunch- gutted for them. We have earmarked 4 lamp posts.

[connollystn]

Hi Guys,

Click on link to read the latest regarding the destruction of the Market Deeping model railway exhibits https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7059229/Mother-teenage-yob-smashed-model-railway-exhibition-says-mortified.html

[Georgeconna]

Wow, Playstation and phone consifcated...Some punishment. If I did that when I was that age I am sure I would not be able to sit for a few days with a well deserved walloping....

 

[WRENNEIRE]

The letter of apology will be sent in the next couple of days........

Jasus wept

[connollystn]

Looks like they won't even get a slap on the wrist. I don't think that people outside the railway modelling world understand the time and dedication that goes into making model railway layouts. While a lot of people have made cash donations, currently standing at £85K, the one thing they can't buy with that is the time and effort it took to make the exhibits. Years ago you'd be sent to gaol for stealing an apple (yes, I do remember those days) but nowadays, unless you murder someone, law enforcement agencies just seem disinterested in pursuing vandalism and other matters which 'they' no longer consider serious.

[Noel]

If it was the 1960s they would be rightly prosecuted and somewhat 'roughed up' while in custody. Moments of insanity. At a bare minimum they should be sentanced to do 200 hours of community service, and given criminal records. They deserve to be named and shamed in public gaze for all in their community to see what thugs they are.

[DiveController]

They should do the same number of hours of something harder than community service as it takes the modellers to recreate everything (Lord, I hate redoing work, don’t know if I’d have the patience, God bless then). The morons are 15-16 so slap on the wrist, no... hang on, corporal punishment is out. Drinking BEFORE GCSEs, they were obviously on the path to been productive members of society as it was. As for underage drinking etc.... what a cluster #%¥€!!

[Lambeg man]

I wonder if the person who supplied the vodka to these underage people, if he or she was a shop keeper, will be making a donation?

[Phil3150]

8 hours ago, connollystn said:

Hi Guys,

Click on link to read the latest regarding the destruction of the Market Deeping model railway exhibits https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7059229/Mother-teenage-yob-smashed-model-railway-exhibition-says-mortified.html

Sounds like mother was briefed by a solicitor before making that statement!

[Lambeg man]

Yes I agree, but not the "Duty Solictor" he got at the police station, sounds more like a "civil litigation" expert/"PR consultant". You would be amazed how quickly these people appear out of the woodwork in a high media interest story like this. The Rod Stewart angle makes it just so compelling for them.

If the four offenders have no previous criminal matters recorded against them, they will be eligible for a "Police Caution" (as per Home Office guidelines and the CPS "Code for Prosecutors"). They will earn a dis-closeable criminal record, but little else. Even though we all understand the full impact their actions had on the victims, the criminal justice system aims to seek what is best outcome to improve the behaviour of the youth offender.

To put them into court will achieve little as the magistrates' hands are tied in respect of previous conduct.

The Daily Mail did not publish their images (why?), to have done so would have put the paper in breach of legislation protecting the identity of ALL young people.

Come on, half of Stamford must know who they are. Unfortunately for them, currently, their actions (unlike the Daily Mails' print copy) are unlikely yet to be consigned to "yesterday's fish and chip paper".

Edited May 24, 2019 by Lambeg man

[jhb171achill]

Well, I see the law as too harsh on some, but too lenient on many more. Overall, it could do with tweaks, but not major change. It is the application of the law by judges, and the mealy-mouthed tales  that the little fella had a hard childhood and he visits his grandmother every Friday that annoy me - REALLY annoy me.

If I was to type here what I would like to do to people like this in general, in addition to being banned I would probably face litigation for hate speech. And I haven't even mentioned my thoughts on instant death penalties (as per Singapore) for anyone and everyone involved with drugs.

It is heartening to see such a great response to an appeal for the model railway club, and it must be hoped that they gain encouragement and a new life in modelling from the donations they have received. Let us hope, too, that the parasitic, immoral money-grubbing insurance industry doesn't see this as an excuse to hike premiums.

[banntry]

Over £104,000 now raised. Although this can never replace the layouts it shows again the community spirit of Railway Modellers and the great public.

[banntry]

Donations still coming in now over £105,000. Went to Stamford today to do some shopping. Talking to a shop assistant whose son goes to

the same school where the damage was done, when it was announced in the school the names of the culprits were well known.

Seems like everyone new it would be them. She mentioned a name to me and said he deserves a good slapping or more!

She said it gives Stamford a bad name as it is a great little historic town - many are not happy. They say these kids will have a hard time

finding a job locally when they leave school. Food for thought.

[skinner75]

On 5/23/2019 at 11:57 PM, jhb171achill said:

And I haven't even mentioned my thoughts on instant death penalties (as per Singapore) for anyone and everyone involved with drugs.

Not quite correct there:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misuse_of_Drugs_Act_(Singapore)
 

[Broithe]

Four charged.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-48974301

[Broithe]

Three of the four have been sentenced - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-49397838

 

Before you ask, this is what a Referral Order is - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/322209/fact-sheet-youth-referral-orders.pdf

[connollystn]

Considering the amount of damage they done and the distress caused to the modellers the sentences are quite lenient.

[DiveController]

I'm sure the token 500 quid compensation will go a long way to covering the losses, or maybe they'll be building quality layouts for a decade or so until everything is ship shape? One might need to redefine 'reparations' in the judicial context

[Mayner]

Its good to see the parents being held to account for the actions of their children, I wonder was the financial reparation a total of 500 or 500 per family, the boys don't appear to be from exactly an under priviledged background. 

In this case (Referral Order) there may have been a restorative justice conference between the club and the families before sentencing rather than each side putting its case forward to the Court to consider in an adult court.

Its possible the referral order may involve an element of un-paid Community Service by the offenders, restorative justice basically involves the offender taking responsibility for their actions meeting the victim and offering to make some form of amends for the damage done.

I know of at least one preserved railway where track maintenance and some elements of mechanical engineering work has been carried out by adult and juvenile offenders on community service for at least the past 10 years

[DiveController]

I suppose if they were to assist in railway preservation on the six foot rather than on the 24mm that might serve some purpose