Edinburgh brothers 'gutted' after callous thief steals scarecrow competition entry

Two Edinburgh brothers have been left “gutted” after a scarecrow they made as part of a school competition was stolen from their home.

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Redford siblings Benjamin and Theodore created Sergeant Speedwell – a police officer complete with a matching speed camera – to encourage motorists to slow down in the Colinton area.

The Bonaly Primary pupils hoped their entry in the school’s Scarecrow Festival fundraising contest would see them claim the top prize for a second year running.

A scarecrow designed by two Redford brothers was stolen overnight between Saturday, September 25 and Sunday, September 26.

Sadly, the boys’ hard work was undone when a callous thief made off with Sergeant Speedwell – less than 24 hours after they positioned the scarecrow outside their home.

Benjamin and Theodore’s mother, who wishes to remain anonymous, said the youngsters, aged six and eight, placed the scarecrow outside at about 5pm yesterday (Saturday).

When the family woke this morning, Sergeant Speedwell was nowhere to be seen.

The boys’ mum said: “My children are really very sad.

“They woke us up this morning saying, ‘It’s gone!’

“We couldn’t believe someone would steal a police officer. There’s quite a bit of speeding signage up and down the street, so we thought the scarecrow was a good thing.

“When we got up at 7.30am we walked around the streets, with the boys were in their pyjamas, to see if someone had dumped it in a garden.

“The boys are just gutted. Last year we were the winners of the competition with a flying Harry Potter entry. The competition aims to raise funds for the school and Colinton Village Enterprise.”

Benjamin and Theodore used a football dummy, school trousers and a police uniform to create Sergeant Speedwell.

The family say they will only report the matter to police if the scarecrow doesn’t reappear by Monday.

Their mum added: “We put it on local Facebook pages.

“If someone was doing it as a prank, they would’ve brought it back by now. I don’t want to waste police time at the moment but I’ll report it online if it isn’t returned today.

“If the person responsible wants to return it by the cover of darkness, that’s not a problem. We would just really like him back.

“If anyone sees this and would like to donate to the school’s JustGiving page, that would be appreciated.”

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