Vandal who caused £10,000-worth of damage to Manchester Arena attack memorial walks free
A vandal who caused £10,000-worth of damage to the Manchester Arena memorial has walked free from court.
Anwar Hosseni admitted vandalising The Glade Of Light, a white marble "halo", which has the names of all 22 people killed in the May 2017 attack.
The 24-year-old, from Salford, scratched white lines across various parts of the memorial with a crystal Buddhist head figure in the early hours of 9 February, 2022.
CCTV footage showed him praying and dancing at the site, near Manchester Cathedral, which had opened to the public just weeks earlier.
He was arrested at his home address and told police he wanted to give "love, unity, honour and gratitude for the souls of those who passed away".
Manchester Crown Court heard the Hosseni has an "established psychiatric history" including periods of detention under the Mental Health Act.
Gwen Henshaw, defending, said: "He now very much understands what he did was wrong and hurtful to many, including the victims' families.
"He is mortified to know that he has caused them hurt and anguish because he prides himself on helping people. He is sorry for the pain that he has caused."
Hosseni pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to criminal damage. He has no previous convictions.
Personal statements from families of the Arena victims were read out in court.
One said: "To know that someone has caused such damage in such a callous, nasty and pointless way breaks ours hearts again".
While another said: "We have comfort in visiting the memorial and to learn it has been desecrated is beyond belief. How can someone stoop so low?"
Hosseni received a two-year community order and a two-year criminal behaviour order which prevents him from visiting the immediate area surrounding The Glade Of Light.
Judge Nicholas Dean QC, the Honorary Recorder of Manchester, told Hosseni that his actions were "bizarre."
He said: "You were motivated by some bizarre thought process. You thought you were somehow honouring the dead.
"If this had been a malicious, political act you would you be facing a lengthy sentence of imprisonment.
"I accept what the doctors say, and what you say, in that you did not intend any ill will to the deceased or their families and friends.
"Quite the contrary, although the way you chose to express it would be difficult for anyone to understand."
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended the official opening for the memorial ahead of the fifth anniversary of the attack.
The tribute is conceived as a living memorial - a peaceful garden space for remembrance and reflection, featuring plants which grow naturally in the UK countryside.
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