My gut reation is to find the mindless bastards and put them up against a brick wall and shoot them at dawn for a fortnight. Then send them to bed without supper!
I honestly don't know which I find the more despicable, desecration by mindless ignorant yobs or what appears to be desecration for mercenary gain.
Glad to see that there has been some action on the matter! I hope they find the rest and publicly humiliate the miscreants!
All the plaques have been recovered - though one had been cut into four (as mentioned above) and another been damaged, though to what degree has not been disclosed: BBC NEWS | England | Devon | Third arrest over plaque thefts