Newbury - Two men destroyed an effigy of the children's book hero "Paddington Bear" during a night of partying.

While Paddington has been having an adventure in Peru on the big screen since January 30, a statue of him also went on an (unplanned) journey.

As part of an advertising campaign for the new Paddington film, a total of 23 bear-like statues were distributed on the island, one of them sitting on a bench with a jam sandwich in the pedestrian zone of the small British town of Newbury.

At the beginning of March, two apparently drunk men (both 22) were also hanging around there, tampering with Paddington. Video footage posted on social media shows how one of the men initially tried to pluck the bear from its attachment using his muscle power - without success.

Only when his buddy lends a hand does the resistant bear break in two. The two ruffians carry off the front side, including Paddington's face, while the back side remains on the bench.

Today, Tuesday, the two 22-year-olds were sentenced by a court for damage to property and theft.

According to the police on Tuesday, the Paddington abusers got into a cab after their crime and drove to a British Royal Air Force base. Both perpetrators were in fact members of the military.

Investigators also found the stolen half of Paddington Bear in the barracks. It was handed over to its rightful owner so that he could repair it.

The two men pleaded guilty in court. They were each sentenced to twelve months of community service.

A police spokesman expressed relief: "The statue of Paddington Bear is a much-loved part of Newbury, so we did everything we could to locate it and bring the offenders to justice."