A Lisburn man has been fined £300 at Belfast Magistrates' Court after admitting two counts of criminal damage for placing stickers on statues in the grounds of Belfast City Hall.

John Henry McCall, 42, of Titterington Gardens, placed Union Jack stickers described in court as 'loyalist' on the statues of Mary Ann McCracken and Winifred Carney on October 18, 2025. The bronze monuments were installed in 2024 to mark International Women's Day and commemorate McCracken, an anti-slavery campaigner, and Carney, a suffragist and trade unionist.

Security staff discovered the labels on the sculptures, and police identified McCall after reviewing CCTV footage.

A defence lawyer told the court the act was 'stupid behaviour' rather than an attempt to make a political point. The stickers were described as Union Jacks, and McCall said he had them on him and was just sticking them on the statues.

McCall had been due to contest allegations that the statues may have been scored by his actions, but admitted the charges after it was confirmed there were no repair costs.

District Judge Francis Rafferty fined McCall £300 and advised him that public artwork and statues are for the benefit of everybody. The judge said that if McCall has an opinion he is not required to keep it to himself, but should express it 'like a sentient human being' rather than by sticking stickers on statues.