Vandals push Mgarr statue off niche

Binge drinking has probably claimed another victim - an inanimate one, albeit with a historic and religious significance.

An old stone statue of Our Lady, once part of the old church in Mgarr, which had been incorporated in the façade of the new church, was toppled from its niche during the night between Friday and Saturday.

Sources in Mgarr said parish priest Fr Joe Fsadni discovered the broken statue shortly before opening the church at 5.30 a.m. yesterday.

Empty bottles were found on the spot, a possible indication that the perpetrators might have had a few drinks too many before climbing up to the niche and pushing the statue down. The statue smashed a bench before hitting the ground and breaking up.

People in Mgarr expressed their disgust at the vandal act when they saw the statue yesterday.

"Perhaps if there were a surveillance camera in the square, it would have been possible to identify the perpetrators," the sources said.