Wales man tried, convicted for destroying Bronze Age relic

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: BBC
3 Sep 2023 14:35

Julian Baker of Wales has filmed himself excavating a 4,500-year-old Bronze Age monument, vandalizing it beyond repair.

An undated photo shows a destroyed Bronze Age relic lays back in its place after workers restored the piece, however, it remains damaged beyond repair. (Wales News Service)

A man in Wales filmed himself as he excavated a 4,500-year-old buried Bronze Age monument, according to local heritage officials.

Julian Baker, 52, vandalized the relic on the Eglwysilan mountain and posted a video of himself committing the crime on Facebook.

A court later ordered Baker to pay the fees needed for the monument's restoration which amounted to £4,400 and was sentenced to a four-month custodial sentence, which he will serve in 2 years, the BBC reported.

Baker who is from Abertridwr, Caerphilly, separated the artwork from the rest of the stone as he excavated the relic, ruining it beyond repair.

The Bronze Age monument is made up of two large sandstones with cup marks carved into their surfaces. They are believed to be route markers or markers for territorial boundaries.

The perpetrator was charged with committing "unauthorized work affecting a scheduled monument" as well as attempting to "destroy or damage an ancient protected monument" and was tried by the Newport Magistrates Court in Wales.

"This damage is a serious incident at a rare class of prehistoric monument in Wales," the Welsh government heritage body Cadw spokesperson told the BBC.

The official said that an important piece of archeological information had been lost due to Baker's actions, adding that the monument's value and significance had been significantly diminished as a result of the incident.

The spokesperson welcomed the court's decision to convict Baker with the charges raised against him, which are also the first that the heritage body had submitted under section 28 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.