Barleylands 20ft scarecrow torched by arsonists (From Southend Standard)
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Barleylands 20ft scarecrow torched by arsonists
7:00am Wednesday 27th February 2013 in Echo News
Barleylands farm park manager Dave Finkle where the scarecrow once stood
ARSONISTS reduced a supersized scarecrow to a pile of ash after it was deliberately set on fire twice in one night.
The 20ft scarecrow, which had been a "huge talking point" when it was put up at Barleylands Farm in Billericay last week, was constructed by Dave Finkle, farm park manager, and three other workers to tie in with a scarecrow making competition during half term.
But it has now been reduced to cinders leaving staff and children devastated.
Mr Finkle said: “Whoever it was was determined to finish the job. There was nothing left and the pole it was attached to was blackened.
“As adults we are disappointed but we are resilient, it’s the children I feel sorry for, it’s ruined their fun.
“It generated some great entertainment and it’s just a desperate shame something fun and interesting has been vandalised and ruined.”
Fire crews were called to the farm twice, first at about 11.30pm and then again just after midnight last Thursday, February 21.
It had taken staff half a day to get it into position using a forklift truck and mini digger and was made using half a dozen shirts, 20 metres of hessian, ten bales of straw and a telegraph pole.
An Essex County Fire and Rescue Service spokesman confirmed both fires were started deliberately and police are investigating.
Any witnesses or anyone with information can contact Essex Police on 101.
Comments(13)
al coniston
says...
9:00am Wed 27 Feb 13
oh get a grip . . . it's an object, not a real person - nobody has died
any real news stories about today ?
DogsMessInLeigh
says...
1:02pm Wed 27 Feb 13
al coniston wrote:If you spent time and effort on making something that gave enjoyment to some and some pr**k came and torched it you wouldn't be too chuffed would you.
'......leaving staff and children devastated'
oh get a grip . . . it's an object, not a real person - nobody has died
any real news stories about today ?
al coniston
says...
1:27pm Wed 27 Feb 13
DogsMessInLeigh wrote:i don't think it would leave me 'devastated'
al coniston wrote:If you spent time and effort on making something that gave enjoyment to some and some pr**k came and torched it you wouldn't be too chuffed would you.
'......leaving staff and children devastated'
oh get a grip . . . it's an object, not a real person - nobody has died
any real news stories about today ?
If someone is devastated at the loss of a scarecrow then i think they have some real issues to deal with
Carnabackable
says...
2:40pm Wed 27 Feb 13
DogsMessInLeigh
says...
2:42pm Wed 27 Feb 13
so make something nice for your front garden for the local kids at half term..get them involved and leave it to get vandalised or burnt down....see what your real feelings would be.
Just picture the scene......
"It had taken Al Coniston half a day to get it into position using a forklift truck and mini digger and was made using half a dozen shirts, 20 metres of hessian, ten bales of straw and a telegraph pole"
(99% of the quote taken from the report)
DogsMessInLeigh
says...
3:45pm Wed 27 Feb 13
At the scene amongst the charred remains of Al's Mega Scarecrow our intrepid Echo reporter Walter Melon asked how he felt about such an act..... " it don't matter no one died no harm done and its not even news what are you even doing here ? anyway i don't care i am off indoors to watch Eastenders"....he said and shut the door behind him.
al coniston
says...
5:43pm Wed 27 Feb 13
DogsMessInLeigh wrote:Oh the irony, you clearly have too much time on your hands and need to get out more.
"just after midnight someone set it on fire, twice infact and it burnt to the ground" said Al Coniston via Fax.
At the scene amongst the charred remains of Al's Mega Scarecrow our intrepid Echo reporter Walter Melon asked how he felt about such an act..... " it don't matter no one died no harm done and its not even news what are you even doing here ? anyway i don't care i am off indoors to watch Eastenders"....he said and shut the door behind him.
Look up the word 'devastated' and educate yourself.
Chris Flunk
says...
6:22pm Wed 27 Feb 13
One enraged local said the scarecrow's messianic pose was "incredibly distasteful" and "making a mockery out of my religion".
Can't help thinking there may be some correlation with the scarecrow's unfortunate demise.
Saxonpride
says...
6:48pm Wed 27 Feb 13
Look for any white kids milling around who try to speak like fictional black gangsters from American movies.
Chances are they did it, they ALWAYS do stuff like this.
Petty vandalism is about all they're good for, being the lowest, more puerile excuses for human life that ever slithered out of a woman.
DogsMessInLeigh
says...
7:22pm Wed 27 Feb 13
al coniston wrote:Cheer up Al.
DogsMessInLeigh wrote:Oh the irony, you clearly have too much time on your hands and need to get out more.
"just after midnight someone set it on fire, twice infact and it burnt to the ground" said Al Coniston via Fax.
At the scene amongst the charred remains of Al's Mega Scarecrow our intrepid Echo reporter Walter Melon asked how he felt about such an act..... " it don't matter no one died no harm done and its not even news what are you even doing here ? anyway i don't care i am off indoors to watch Eastenders"....he said and shut the door behind him.
Look up the word 'devastated' and educate yourself.
Cosmo Spring
says...
5:51pm Thu 28 Feb 13
runwellian
says...
12:03pm Fri 1 Mar 13
they would steal your house if they could get it on the back of a lorry, sign of the times, as for the loss of the scarecrow, not the most mind blowing event, but instead of building a useless piece of art, why not try producing something that would benefit others?
Soouthchurch59 says...
8:15am Wed 27 Feb 13