Arrest after new mural of beloved Camborne rugby brothers vandalised a day later
A teenager has been arrested after a mural depicting three Camborne rugby playing brothers was defaced barely a day after completion.
The arrest follows a spate of graffiti vandalism across the Camborne and Redruth area.
There have been numerous incidents of graffiti being scrawled across the towns with the latest victim of the attacks being a professional mural in Camborne town centre.
The mural, painted by professional graffiti artist Cosmic, depicts the three Matavesi brothers Josh, Joel and Sam, who were born in Cornwall to a Camborne-born mother and Fijian father.
The mural on a shop shutter was completed last week but barely a day later 'tags' had been sprayed all over it.
Posting on Facebook Camborne Rugby Club expressed its disappointment saying the culprit was "hardly Banksy".
"We're really disappointed to see that, barely a day after completion, the mural in town has been vandalised," it said. "You're hardly Banksy."
Posting on his Instagram Page, Cosmic says the artwork is a contemporary representation of, and an homage to, the professional rugby player brothers from Camborne.
He added: "And if it gets scuffed, I’ll tidy it up."
Posting on Facebook Ian Coulson summed up the feelings of many people.
"Senseless vandalism of the new mural in town," he said. "This is why we can't have nice things. I hope the police find you before the players do.
"This must have taken at least 20 minutes to scrawl all over, someone must have seen who did it."
In a post on Facebook, Camborne, Pool and Redruth Police said: "A juvenile male has been arrested in connection with numerous incidents of graffiti vandalism across the Camborne and Redruth area, including recent damage to a professional mural recently completed in Camborne town centre.
"We understand the impact this has on the community, and we're committed to addressing these concerns. The investigation is ongoing, and we will provide further updates as they become available.
"If you have any information or have witnessed suspicious activity, please get in touch with us via 101 or report anonymously through Crimestoppers at 0800 555 111."
