TWO men yesterday pleaded guilty to drunkenly vandalising a community sculpture carved by children.

Jonathon Champion, 19, of Rowlands, in Gayle, near Hawes, North Yorkshire, and Henry Parkin, 20, of Field Gate Farm, Bainbridge, near Leyburn, admitted pushing the 8ft wooden sculpture over on the night of July 23.

Northallerton Magistrates' Court heard that the sculpture, which was on the roadside between Bainbridge and Hawes, in Wensleydale, had been found with £2,000 of damage the following day.

The carvings, which represented local wildlife, had been smashed, and its arms broken off.

Parkin also pleaded guilty to causing damage totalling £4,700 to a Volkswagen Golf, a Honda Civic and a Volvo, parked in Askrigg.

Champion admitted damaging the Volkswagen and the Honda.

Paul Mason, 18, of Rookhurst Cottage, Gayle, appeared alongside Champion and Parkin. He admitted damaging the Honda and the Volvo.

Caroline May, prosecuting, said the owners of the cars had found scratches and dents on the bonnet and roofs, consistent with someone standing on the vehicles.

She said all three men had come forward voluntarily and admitted their parts in damaging the cars and sculpture.

She said that in interview, they said they were ashamed of their actions and were drunk at the time.

Magistrates adjourned the case until Wednesday for pre-sentence reports to be prepared.

Alan Meehan, speaking on behalf of the three men, said they had given him money to compensate the car owners fully and had offered to pay for repairs to the sculpture once the exact cost of those repairs had been established.