Italian police say they have identified the man and woman he was with from photos, but have not named the couple.
ADVERTISEMENTItalian police say they believe the man filmed carving his name and that of his alleged girlfriend last week on the ancient Roman Colosseum is a tourist living in Britain.
The identification was carried out using photographic comparisons, the Italian Carabinieri said in a statement.
The press release also underlines that “the procedure is in the preliminary investigation phase, the suspect must therefore consider himself innocent until a final sentence is pronounced.”
British media are widely reporting that the culprit who carved “Ivan+Haley 23” on the wall of the Colosseum is believed to be 27-year-old Bulgarian-born fitness instructor Ivan Dimitrov, also known as Ivan Hawkins.
He and his long-term girlfriend Hayley Bracey, 33, are believed to live together near the city of Bristol in southwest England. Bracey is believed to run her own sports nutrition business.
Gennaro Sangiuliano, Italian Minister of Culture “This action offended everyone in the world who appreciates the value of archaeology, monuments and history. I now hope that justice will take its course by strictly enforcing the laws.”
Sangiuliano said he looked forward to the parliamentary debate on strengthening laws aimed at punishing those who destroy archaeological heritage. “Those who cause damage will pay,” he added.
He also warned that if the person was brought to justice, the Ministry of Culture would declare itself aggrieved.
What exactly happened?
Italy’s most popular tourist attraction, the nearly 2,000-year-old Colosseum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the best-known symbols of Imperial Rome.
Footage of the incident went viral on social media, at a time when Romans were already complaining about the hordes of tourists visiting the city this year.
The video shows a bearded young man in a blue floral shirt scratching his and his girlfriend’s name with a key on an interior wall of the ancient stone Roman amphitheater.
Another tourist, Ryan Lutz of Orange City, California, who filmed the tourist in the act, posted the video to YouTube and Reddit. It has been seen more than 1,500 times on social networks and covered by the Italian media.
Lutz said Tuesday he was “stunned” that someone would deface such an important monument.
Following the video’s widespread distribution, many prominent government officials strongly condemned the incident.
Sangiuliano called the writing carved into the nearly 2,000-year-old Flavian Amphitheater “serious, undignified and a sign of great incivility.”
Heavy fines
This is the fourth time this year that such graffiti has been reported at the Colosseum. Italian news agency ANSA said whoever was responsible for the latest episode faced a 13,000 euro fine and up to five years in prison.
Tourism Minister Daniela Santanche said she hoped the tourist would be punished “so that he understands the seriousness of the gesture.”
Calling for respect for Italy’s culture and history, she said: “We cannot allow those who visit our country to feel free to behave in this way. »
ADVERTISEMENTIn 2014, a Russian tourist was fined €20,000 and given a four-year suspended prison sentence for carving a large letter “K” on a wall of the Colosseum.
The following year, two American tourists were also cited for aggravated criminal damage after carving their names into the monument.
Watch the video above to see what happened.
Video Editor • Theo Farrant
