The Toronto man charged with mischief after allegedly mounting the National War Memorial called it a drunken mistake and said he regrets what he did.
“I was intoxicated. It was a mistake and I shouldn’t have done it. I realize it,” the 22-year-old told the Citizen on Wednesday.
“Of course I regret it … I made a mistake and now I’m all over the news,” he added.
In a brief telephone interview, Maciej Andrej Szczypka didn’t explain why he climbed the monument, but insisted he wasn’t “fornicating” with the statue — a term police had used in describing the incident.
“People are lying that I performed a sexual act, which is not true. It is not true,” he said.
Ottawa Police allege that the young man climbed the Elgin Street monument at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday and, according to passersby, “began fornicating the statue.” He was arrested at the scene after bystanders called police.
After spending close to two days in jail, Szczypka was released from the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre around 6 p.m. on Tuesday on a $1,200 deposit. He was ordered to abide by several conditions, which included staying away from the monument and not possessing, buying or drinking alcohol.
The National War Memorial honours the country’s war dead. The remains of the Unknown Soldier, returned to Canada from France in 2000, are in a tomb in front of the memorial. It was also the scene of the Oct. 22 shooting by Michael Zehaf-Bibeau that killed Cpl. Nathan Cirillo.
Similar incidents have happened in the past, including one in 2006 where a photo of a group of young men urinating on the war memorial during Canada Day celebrations sparked outrage across the country.
According to Szczypka’s Facebook account, which has since been taken down, he travels to Ottawa somewhat regularly and has a job working with cars — something he appears passionate about.
He is scheduled to appear in court again on Aug. 27.
