A statue of a seated man in Edinburgh has been vandalised by what one Facebook group claimed to be, an “older mentally unstable man.”
The vandal was reported to be attempting to cheer up the statue that looked too “miserable.”
Sandy Irvine Robertson
Friends of the Water of Leith Basin
Local Facebook community page, Friends of the Water of Leith Basin (FOWL.b), posted the photos with the caption: "A spray painter was spotted this morning vandalising the seated sculpture on the North Shore.
"He said the sculpture looks miserable and he tries to make him look happy by adding paint.
"The police have been alerted.”
The statue appears to have had the eyes spray painted white with a disconcerting grimace applied to the face, in efforts to depict a smile.
The vandal has also painted the shirt and tie in white, so the statue stands out even further on the waterfront of Leith.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 9.20 am this morning, Thursday, 27 January, 2022, police received a report of a vandalism to a statue on North Shore, Leith.
"Enquiries are continuing."
The statue is of Sandy Irvine Robertson, founder of the Scottish Business Achievements Awards Trust.