Statue of slave owner Thomas Picton to be removed from Cardiff City Hall

Painting of Sir Thomas Picton

Sir Thomas Picton defended his right to obtain confessions by torture while governor of Trinidad

The statue of a "brutal" slave owner - convicted over the torture of a girl - is to be removed from a "Welsh heroes" gallery in Cardiff's City Hall.

Sir Thomas Picton's statue had stood for more than a century, remembering him as the highest ranking officer to die in the Battle of Waterloo.

Cardiff council noted Picton's "abhorrent behaviour" as Governor of Trinidad in the 19th Century and on Thursday voted to remove the monument.

The statue will now be covered up.

Calls to remove the statue followed Black Lives Matter protesters toppling a similar statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol.

Public outrage

The statue of Sir Thomas Picton (left) is in a gallery of Welsh heroes at City Hall

While governor of the-then British colony Trinidad, Picton authorised the illegal torture of a 14-year-old girl, which caused public outrage at the time. He was found guilty but was never sentenced.

A statue of Picton was placed in City Hall in 1916, as part of the Heroes of Wales collection.

Councillor Saeed Ebrahim proposed the motion to the full council to remove the statue.

"The behaviour of Picton as governor of Trinidad was abhorrent, even in his own era, and not deserving of a place in the Heroes of Wales collection," the motion read.

"Heightened awareness about the history of slavery must include a reassessment of the regard in which we hold Picton, and many others who were actors and beneficiaries of slavery.

"In hindsight it was an error to have included Picton as an option in the 1916 public vote, and an error that he had not been removed sooner.

"A democratic decision, by the representatives of the people of Cardiff, to remove the statue will send a message to Black people in Cardiff and across the world that the city recognises the role people like Picton played in slavery, and that we must seek to address the systemic racism that still exists due to slavery and empire.

"Black lives matter, and none of us are equal until all of us are equal."

'Tackling racial inequality'

Fifty seven councillors voted for the statue's removal from the Marble Hall of Heroes, five voted against that and there were nine abstentions.

Now Cardiff council will seek permission from the Welsh Government and Cadw - which protects historic monuments in Wales - to remove it from the civic centre building, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Following the vote, council leader Huw Thomas said: "Whilst gestures such as this are important, they cannot deflect us from the harder task of trying to address the challenges still experienced by black communities today."

Cardiff council has said it will set up a taskforce to explore how to tackle racial inequality in the Welsh capital.

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