Tourist caught carving his name into Colosseum says ‘he didn’t know it was old’

Rome: Tourist appears to carve name into Colosseum

A personal trainer who was caught carving his, and his girlfriend’s, name into the walls of the nealry 2,000-year-old Colosseum in the centre of Rome has now issued an apology, sparking a fresh wave of outrage from the Italians.

Ivan Dimitrov, 27, from Bristol, who also goes by the name Ivan Hawkins, now said he “didn’t know it was an old monument”.

Ivan was caught vandalising the historic building, which remains the largest standing amphitheatre in the world as thousands of tourists flock to see the wonder.

However, one US tourist visiting the site caught Ivan on camera as he was carving his name and that of his girlfriend Hayley Bracey, 33, into the ancient stone, outraging millions of viewers on social media.

His apology to the mayor of Rome has been described as “surreal” by officials as Ivan pleaded forgiveness for his actions, blaming them on his own ignorance.

According to the Daily Mail, he wrote to the mayor: “Aware of the seriousness of the committed act, with these lines, I wish to address my most heartfelt and honest apologies to the Italians and to the whole world for the damage caused to an asset which, in fact, is the heritage of all humanity.

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“I admit with profound embarrassment that only after what regretfully happened did I learn of the antiquity of the monument.

“The council with dedication, care and sacrifice guards the inestimable historical and artistic value of the Colosseum.”

However, as the 27-year-old is set to face a possible fine of up to 15,000 euros and could be jailed for between two and five years when the case goes to court, some officials are not inclined to believe the apology.

One official at Rome city council said: “What nonsense and what a surreal letter. What level of education does this man have not to know the significance of the Colosseum?

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“It’s just an attempt to pacify – and if he was so concerned why take almost two weeks to write? Why didn’t he apologise sooner? He must have known what he did as it was all over the world’s media.

“We intend to pursue this through the judicial system along with the authorities at the Colosseum and hope to see an appropriate punishment when it comes to court.”

Ivan is a Bulgarian-born personal trainer who works in Bristol, the police revealed.

A Carabinieri police source in Rome told the newspaper: “The people we are looking for have left the country but we are sure that we will have their precise location by the end of the day.

“I can confirm they are British residents, and the man is younger than the woman. They are travelling together and arrived in Italy on June 21 and left on June 26.

“The man is of Bulgarian origin and the woman British. They were staying in a bed and breakfast on the outskirts of Rome and we have their details.

“We are happy we have identified the male but the woman has not been identified as she is not seen in the video taken at the Colosseum but they are travelling together.”

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