Four charged over Colston statue damage

Four people have denied committing criminal damage in relation to the topplingof a statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol.

Rhian Graham, MiloPonsford, Jake Skuse and Sage Willoughby appeared before Bristol Magistrates’Court for their first hearing on Monday morning.

The bronze memorial to the17th century slave merchant was pulled down during a Black Lives Matterprotest on June 7 last year, before being dumped in Bristol Harbour.

It waslater recovered from the water by Bristol City Council.