Hamilton commuters were shocked yesterday morning when they saw it: Somebody has spray-painted Johnny Barnes' face.

Not his actual face, thankfully, but the face of his statue, at the enterance of East Broadway opposite Crow Lane Bakery.

Answering the phone when contacted by The Royal Gazette yesterday, however, Mr. Barnes said in greeting: “I love you, I still love you, I hope you're having a beautiful day.

“I don't know what happened,” he said. “I passed by yesterday and it was alright.”

Mr. Barnes said he was on the Crow Lane roundabout as usual yesterday morning when a television cameraman came down and informed him what had happened. “He wanted to get me by the statue,” he explained.

When asked if he was upset by the incident, Mr. Barnes was philosophical. “We live in a changing world,” he said.

“I don't know who did it but I'm sorry they did it. These things will happen, you know.”

Other Bermudians were not so accepting of the vandalism, with The Royal Gazette receiving a flood of calls from an outraged public.

“It's digusting, how could someone do this?” said one woman, who did not wish to leave her name.

“What could you possibly have to gain? This is yet another example of how our beautiful country is slipping away from us,” she said.

And Desmond Fountain Gallery managaer Sophia Wharton was equally indignant.

“Apparently it's been spray-painted. It's going to take a considerable amount of work to clean that up and put a new finish on it,” she said.

“It's going to be expensive. They're going to have to get a specialist to do it.

“It's a terrible thing, that someone would just go and do that, for fun. They have to get to grips with this problem.” Sculptor Desmond Fountain is currently off the Island.

“The Bermuda Police Service are right now holding inquiries into the matter,” said Police spokesman Dwayne Caines.

“Clearly it's a serious matter,” he said, “but we're taking the appropriate action.” Police are asking for any members of the public with information about the vandalism to come forward.

Johnny Barnes, a former bus driver, has been bringing smiles to weary workers every morning for the past 30 years.