'She's gone rogue': Father of protester who poured human waste on Captain Sir Tom Moore memorial says he's ashamed

2 October 2022, 07:21 | Updated: 2 October 2022, 20:02

The father of an eco protester who poured a bucket of human waste on a memorial to Captain Sir Tom Moore has said she has "gone rogue".

Maddie Budd, 21, targeted the memorial to Sir Tom, who raised over £30m million for the NHS on his 100th birthday, in a protest for pressure group End UK Private Jets.

“Every time one [private jet] takes off, it pours a bucket of s*** and blood onto everything that Captain Tom stood for,” she said in a recorded statement justifying her actions.

“People are going to say that he's a hero, people are going to say that this is profoundly, obscenely disrespectful to his life, and to the NHS he stood up for and I agree.”

The group later claimed that the 21-year-old had been arrested, tweeting: "Maddie has been arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage, and escorted to custody by about 18 police officers."

Her father, Jim Budd, 62, revealed she had dropped out of medical school to become a full-time eco-warrior, adding that he was "ashamed of her and what she has done".

"The shock of this is hurting people and upsetting them," he told MailOnline.

"I'm ashamed of her and what she has done. There has been a big public reaction for obvious reasons. I don't think she understands what the hell she was unleashing.

"She's done something horrible without thinking of the consequences.

"I felt sick with shock when I saw it - I have sent her a text message but she has not replied.

"It goes against all the things you install in your children - it is not normal behaviour. I'm extremely sad. The fact is she has sort of gone rogue."

Her protest sparked anger and confusion online.

“It looks like a child throwing a disgusting tantrum and being beyond disrespectful. This kind of behavior will not convince anyone to make any changes,” one person wrote.

Another wrote: “Hope she gets jail time for this. Not helping your cause at all, if anything I’m now against you and your cause. Disgusting honestly you should be distancing yourselves from this disgraceful behaviour not supporting it.”

A third posted: "A 21 yr old has decided to pour sh*t over a memorial for Captain Tom Moore and call it a protest. Can someone explain to me the difference between a protest and criminal damage please?"

Captain Tom began to walk 100 lengths of his garden at the age of 99 in 2020, with the aim of raising £1,000 for NHS charities by his 100th birthday on April 30. 

His efforts captivated the nation and by his birthday he had raised over £30m. He was considered a national treasure by the time of his death in February 2021 after catching Covid-19.