The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Perthshire woman un-Happy about missing garden dwarf
ThefT: Sculpture had been specially carved for display
A dwarf statue which was stolen from a garden in Perth could not have been taken on a whim, its owner has said.
The carved stone ornament is part of a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs display at the home of Marion Benstead and was taken earlier this month.
Marion said the sculpture, which has been outside her home for around 20 years, was quite valuable and had been carved specially for her. She is unable to get a replacement as the original artist has since died.
She said: “It was taken on April 9, probably late at night. It was taken very carefully as they didn’t knock anything else over in the garden. It’s very heavy and a child or teenager could not just have lifted it and taken it away – it took two men to put it in. It’s made of quarried stone. I think it’s been taken specially – it must have been planned.”
The dwarf in question – Happy – is worth hundreds of pounds – but that is eclipsed by his sentimental value.
“To me it’s worth more than money,” Marion continued. The man who made it has died and if I had another made it would only be a copy and wouldn’t have the same expression.
“The feet were found a wee bit away from the house but I want the top back to try and fix it myself.
“Somehow Snow White and the Six Dwarfs doesn’t sound the same.”
A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: “We are appealing for information after a garden ornament was stolen sometime between April 8 and 9 at Pitheavlis Crescent, Perth. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Tayside Division on 101.”
The theft of the dwarf is not the most unusual report made to police.
In 2012, thieves in the Czech Republic stole a 10-tonne bridge after convincing officials they were hired to demolish it.
In 2008 it was reported that 400m of beach had disappeared from the Caribbean island of Jamaica as 500 truck-loads of sand had been removed outside a resort at Coral Spring beach.