Bandits stole and then dismembered a family’s beloved Billy Connolly scarecrow in a straw-ful joke.
The life-sized replica of the legendary Scot was snatched from Louise Haggerty’s garden, just around the corner from where the Big Yin lived himself in the late 1970s.
After Louise, 65, saw ‘youngsters’ nabbing the scarecrow on Saturday night, the family found the figure chopped up and beheaded.
Louise produced the straw-stuffed Connolly for this year’s Gala Day in her home town of Drymen, in Stirlingshire, Scotland.
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As this competition had a Hawaiian theme, Louise and partner John opted to recreate the actor with his iconic ‘banana feet’.
The scarecrow, which even had its own banjo, was a hit with the local area during the gala and the pair hoped to display him until the end of August so more people could snap photos.
But it all went pear-shaped on Saturday night when the dummy was targeted by youths.
Louise told the Daily Record: ‘A car pulled up, and somebody jumped out and stole our scarecrow.
‘John even made a wee banjo for it. Just before it was stolen, John heard a lot of cackling and laughing and a horn beep, beep, beeping.
‘He went outside and all that was left of Billy was his glasses.
‘He’s raging and says he’d like to get his hands on whoever stole Billy.
‘It seems like it was just a quick grab and go.’
A few hours after making a desperate Facebook appeal to locate the scarecrow, it was found a mile away, brutally torn apart.
Louise told Glasgow Times: ‘He was found less than a mile away, completely dismembered.
‘His wooden banjo had been flung about 100 yards from the body. His leggings were ripped, and his torso was torn in half.
‘I can’t help but wonder what the point was. It almost felt like a vendetta, but I think it was probably just some spur-of-the-moment stupidity.’
Devastated Louise added: ‘Bad enough to take it but why tear it apart and absolutely destroy it.’
The legendary Glaswegian comedian, now 82, lived in Drymen with his first wife Iris and two children.
According to Louise, her late brother-in-law Davie was a close pal to the knighted TV personality when he lived in the town.
The legendary actor and musician is now happily enjoying his retirement in the US, which he’s spending drawing and fishing at his abode in the Florida Keys.
Sir Billy was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2013, which came shortly after he began forgetting his lines during performances.
With both his balance and memory starting to deteriorate, he suffered ‘a couple of serious falls’, leading to him walking with a stick and sometimes using a wheelchair.
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