Tourist fined £16k after vandalising Colosseum by engraving 10-inch letter 'K'
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A Russian tourist has been fined 20,000 euros (£15,800) for engraving a big letter 'K' on a wall of the Colosseum.
In the latest act of vandalism by tourists at the ancient structure, the 42-year-old was caught by a guard as he used a sharp edged stone to carve the 10-inch-tall letter.
The unnamed man has been given a fine and a suspended four-month prison sentence, reported news agency ANSA.
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Graffiti: A 42-year-old man was caught by a guard engraving the letter 'k' into the ancient structure
The head of the administration of the Colosseum, Mariarosaria Barbera, was reported to have said the man had 'caused significant damage' and had 'ruined the covering part of the amphitheatre'.
Union leaders, citing recent acts of vandalism, have complained about the lack of personnel to properly monitor Rome's archaeological treasures — with increasing numbers of visitors seeking to leave their trace on antiquity, causing incalculable damage.
It was the fifth incidence of vandalism by foreign tourists at the Colosseum this year.
The others include an Australian father and son, aged 45 and 12, who scrawled their names on a wall, and two teenagers, one Canadian who tried to steal a brick and a Brazilian was prosecuted for similar offences.
Authorities will increase the number of surveillance cameras and step up visual and audio warnings against vandalism, said the Roman daily Il Messaggero.
National treasure: It was the fifth incidence of vandalism by foreign tourists at the Colosseum this year
Big business: Amphitheatre welcomes more than six million visitors a year and is undergoing repairs
A heated thread on Reddit discussing the vandalism has started with users commentating, 'Deliberately destroying ancient, priceless, and irreplaceable cultural artefacts is unconscionable' and '42 years old? I was expecting it to be a 16 year old'.
The Colosseum, the biggest amphitheatre built during the Roman Empire standing 48.5 metres tall, welcomes more than six million visitors a year.
Long-delayed repairs to the 2,000-year-old monument, once used for bloody gladiatorial contests, began in September.
The refurbishment, funded by Italian billionaire Diego Della Valle, is expected to end in 2016.
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