Australian police are investigating after a statue of Captain James Cook was covered in red paint and disfigured, ahead of the Australia Day weekend. It is the second time in 12 months that the statue in Sydney has been vandalised.

A statue in Sydney of British explorer James Cook, captain of the first Western ship to reach the east coast of Australia, was sprayed with red paint and damaged two days before Australia's national day,

A statue of British explorer Captain James Cook in a suburb of Sydney has been vandalised ahead of Australia Day, the second such incident in as many years. New South Wales Police said they were investigating.

Vandals in Australia poured red paint over a statue of famed British explorer James Cook, officials said Friday ahead of large anti-colonial protests expected over the weekend.