Fury at BBC for spending nearly £50,000 restoring controversial statue by paedophile sculptor Eric Gill which campaigners say should be taken down

• EXCLUSIVE: Artist admitted sexually abusing daughters in published diaries 
• A statue outside BBC’s Broadcasting House has been vandalised repeatedly

The BBC has come under fire after it emerged that it has already spent nearly £50,000 restoring a controversial statue by paedophile sculptor Eric Gill, which campaigners say should instead be taken down.

Bosses at the corporation have been accused of displaying ‘astonishing moral turpitude’ in deciding to carry out the costly repairs to the statue.

The carving of Prospero and Ariel, which is displayed on the outside of the BBC’s London headquarters, has been attacked by protestors twice in the last two years.

Sexual abuse groups believe the BBC should remove the statue, which displays Ariel as a naked child, given its connection to Gill, who wrote about abusing his daughters in his diaries.

The true cost of the repair work is expected to go way beyond the current spend of £48,000 as this covers only the earlier phase of the work, with a second phase to follow.

The Grade II listed statue depicts Ariel and Prospero from The Tempest. Above, Gill with his work

The Grade II-listed statue outside the BBC’s London headquarters was attacked and damaged by a man with a hammer in 2022

One critic said the broadcaster would be better giving the money to an abuse charity rather than the restoring the statue, saying that spending so much on repairing it ‘reflects pretty badly on them’.

The BBC in response to these concerns said it in ‘no way condones Gill’s abusive behaviour’. It added that members of the public will be ‘able to access information about the artwork and artist’ via a nearby ‘QR code’ once the restoration work is complete.

Repair work from the first attack in 2022, had begun in May this year, before a person wielding a hammer launched a new assault on the sculpture.

READ MORE HERE: Fury at BBC’s decision to restore statue by ‘evil’ paedophile Eric Gill, who sexually abused his own daughters and his dog

Now the Mail has uncovered figures revealing the huge cost of repairing the 1930s sculpture.

According to a Freedom of Information made to the BBC, the cost of the first phase of work carried out on restoring the sculpture has totalled £40,782. This includes the cost of ‘scaffolding hire and licensing’ as well as ‘the cost of stone masonry works that were carried out after the first incident in January 2022’.

It added there was an ‘additional cost’ of £7,255 for the ‘continuation of scaffolding hire and licensing between the first and second phase of restoration work’.

The first phase of the restoration includes stone masonry work that was required to clean the impacted surfaces as well as making sure it was still structurally sound. Phase two will include the cost of restorative stone masonry as well as a listed building application.

Fay Maxted, chief executive of The Survivors Trust, which helps the victims of sexual violence and abuse, said: ‘The arguments around whether the works of an artist whose personal behaviour has been morally unacceptable should be celebrated or destroyed is quite clear for survivors and less clear for those lucky enough not to have been sexually abused.

‘Eric Gill’s own diaries documented his sexual abuse of his daughters and the family dog.’

She added: ‘In the wake of the Savile scandal and the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse final report of the failures of institutions to protect children from sexual abuse, the BBC’s decision to repair the damaged sculpture at Broadcasting House betrays an astonishing moral turpitude.

‘I don’t advocate destroying artwork, but I do advocate for paying close attention to the ongoing trauma experiences of victims of child sexual abuse.

‘The BBC should remove the statue in recognition of the inappropriate message of acceptance and celebration of an abuser it promotes. Or maybe they’re considering bringing back Star Portraits with Rolf Harris? ‘

Marilyn Hawes, Chief Executive of campaign group Freedom from Abuse, said: ‘I think they should just get rid of it. Why do we need a reminder? They got rid of everything to do with Jimmy Savile.

A man wearing a Spiderman mask used a hammer and chisel to damage the statue in May this year

In diaries published after his death Gill admitted to sexually abusing his daughters and a dog

‘I would have thought they would have better things to do with their money – like giving it to a charity. If I was the BBC, knowing the difficulties they have had with sexual allegations, I would think it reflects pretty badly on them.’

She added: ‘How many people walk past that statue that have been and still are being sexually abused.’

The campaigner said whatever talent someone had, it is the abuse that is the issue.

READ MORE HERE:  Protester in Spider-Man mask launches new hammer attack on BBC statue carved by ‘evil’ paedophile Eric Gill who sexually abused his own daughters and his dog – just days after Beeb announced it would be restored

Restoration work includes removal of ‘indelible graffiti’ around the statue, ‘recreation of broken sections of statuary, repair of the faces of both figures, restoration of extensive areas of battered Portland stone via an application of resin/stone mix’.

The corporation refused to say how much it was paying for security personnel who are ‘currently positioned outside Old Broadcasting House’ but said they were being provided by an external company that the BBC has a current contract with for security services.

The sculpture, which is Grade II listed, depicts the characters of Prospero and Ariel from Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Gill was an acclaimed early 20th century artist but when his diaries were published, after his death, it was revealed he had sexually abused his daughters and a dog.

It is understood the BBC’s decision to repair the sculpture came after discussions with cultural organisations such as Historic England.

A BBC spokesperson said: ‘Broadcasting House is a building of historical and cultural significance and has been so for almost a century. Having sought expert advice and opinion, we are repairing the façade in line with the building’s Grade II-listed status.

‘The BBC in no way condones Gill’s abusive behaviour. Once the restoration work is complete members of the public will be able to access information about the artwork and the artist via a QR code, which will be made available close-by.’

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