Seven charged over Zelda D’Aprano statue vandalism in Carlton

Seven women have been charged over the alleged defacing of the Zelda D’Aprano statue outside Victorian Trades Hall in Carlton earlier this month.

Victoria Police said the statue, which honours the life of the prominent Melbourne women’s rights campaigner, was allegedly damaged on Friday, March 6.

Police allege the activist group arrived on Victoria St about 11am carrying umbrellas and red spray paint, before changing their clothing and putting up the umbrellas in an attempt to block CCTV cameras and avoid being identified.

The women then allegedly sprayed red paint across the statue and surrounding tiles.

According to police, nearby staff members approached the group before the women allegedly became aggressive and left the area.

Detectives from the Melbourne Divisional Response Unit have been investigating the incident and identified eight women allegedly involved.

Police executed multiple search warrants on Friday, March 27, leading to the arrest of seven women, including a 34-year-old from Melbourne, a 34-year-old from Kew, a 48-year-old from Coburg, a 48-year-old from Footscray, a 50-year-old from Coburg North, a 55-year-old from Kingsbury and a 71-year-old from Braybrook.

All seven have been charged with a range of offences, including criminal damage, behaving in a riotous manner in a public place, marking graffiti on a residence without consent, recklessly damaging part of a registered place without a permit and refusing to leave a scheduled public place after a warning.

The 34-year-old Melbourne woman appeared before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Friday evening.

The remaining six women were bailed to appear before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on October 1.

Police said an eighth woman remains outstanding.

The statue of Zelda D’Aprano sits outside Trades Hall on the Carlton side of Victoria St and commemorates one of Victoria’s best-known equal pay and women’s rights campaigners.

Anyone with information has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers.