Edward Colston statue: Four cleared of criminal damage over toppling monument

Four people have been cleared of criminal damage over toppling the statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol.

Sage Willoughby, Rhian Graham, Milo Ponsford and Jake Skuse were charged after the monument was pulled down and thrown into Bristol harbour during a Black Lives Matter protest in June 2020.

Cheers erupted in the public gallery of Bristol Crown Court as the verdicts were returned, befoe the four defendants laughed and hugged supporters outside the building after being released.

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