Italian police launch manhunt for a UK tourist who defaced walls of Colosseum

Italian police have launched a manhunt for a tourist who defaced the walls of the Colosseum in a recent viral video, who is from the UK. The young man was captured on film by another person carving his name, and that of his girlfriend’s, into the brick walls of the ancient Roman monument.

The footage, which emerged early this week, has since gone viral on social media with people, especially the Italians calling for his arrest. He allegedly used a set of keys to carve the words “Ivan + Hayley 23”  at the busy amphitheatre.

The police have yet to identify the man in question, but they confirmed he was a “resident in England.” However, several UK media outlets say the pair are a couple who live in Bristol and are believed to have left Italy.

A Carabinieri officer told The Telegraph that the man is now subject to an investigation, saying: “It is just the man who is accused of scratching his name into the Colosseum, she is not part of the investigation. We will find them through the normal channels of international police cooperation and there will be a trial.”

If convicted, the man faces a fine of up to  €15,000 (£12,850) and a prison sentence of up to five years.

In an official statement, the Carabinieri said they had identified “through traditional investigations and photographic comparisons the person accused of etching their name and that of his girlfriend on the walls of the Colosseum.”

In the video, the man could be seen grinning as he carved his name into the brickwork while being filmed by a fellow tourist, earlier this month. A blonde woman, believed to be his girlfriend, could be seen standing next to him as he committed the offence.