Dorrigo war memorial damage April, 2025 co-accused sentenced in Coffs Harbour court
Parts of a large war memorial in the main street of a Mid-North Coast town were broken and removed days before Anzac Day, including the lone soldier’s gun which a woman put down her pants and “jokingly indicated it was a penis”.
Coffs Harbour
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A couple who damaged a small town’s war memorial just days before Anzac Day this year after a night out drinking have been sentenced.
Parts of the large obelisk-style monument on a roundabout in the main street of Dorrigo were broken and removed on the night of April 19, including the lone soldier’s gun which the woman put down her pants and “jokingly indicated it was a penis”, it was heard in Coffs Harbour Local Court on Wednesday.
Toni Cardow and Joshua Claridge were arrested in Orange, where they currently reside, on April 23 after police issued a public plea for information about the destruction which shocked the small town.
At the time the local RSL club branded it disgusting and called for the culprits to be found and dealt with.
Claridge was charged with destroy or damage property; and wilfully damage or deface any protected place.
Cardow was charged with committing an offensive act on a war memorial/interment site.
They pleaded guilty to all charges.
Cardow grew up in Dorrigo and the pair were in town visiting her family at the time it was heard during their sentencing on Wednesday.
The pair’s lawyer Carlo Bianchino said they had both suffered a “significant degree of community criticism by way of social media”.
They were both “affected by alcohol” on the night he said.
He tendered references to the court which he said showed Claridge, who is an electrician, is “respectful, hardworking and polite”.
Cardow had volunteered at a veterinarian practice in Dorrigo and, as the eldest sibling, had stepped up into a caring role following the separation of her parents.
He urged Magistrate Jeff Linden not to record convictions and said they had both been “villainized by what took place on social media” following the incident and they will continue to “wear the stain” of their offending for a long time.
He further told the court that Cardow would like to return to her hometown and acknowledges the stupidity of her actions and the impact they’ve had on the community.
Claridge has agreed to pay $25,000 compensation to Bellingen Shire Council to contribute to repair work.
Magistrate Linden said the offending was “too serious for a non-conviction” .
He outlined their behaviour - which he likened to “a desecration” – and described the bizarre incident involving the soldier’s gun which was torn from the monument and Cardow put down her pants and “jokingly indicated it was a penis”.
Claridge was convicted of both offences, fined $400 and sentenced to a 12-month Community Correction Order.
Cardow was convicted and fined $750.
The pair covered their faces as they left the court. At one stage Cardow was seen to forcefully push a female journalist out of the way.
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