One thing I don’t understand is why these defendants have been allowed to elect trial by jury. Criminal damage where the value is under £5,000 is triable only summarily – i.e. only in the Magistrates’ Court. The value of the statue is said to be £3,750. However, no matter.
As far as bail goes, the Bail Act provides for a right to bail unless the court is satisfied that the defendant may:
Abscond (i.e. not turn up as required).
Interfere with the course of justice (particularly witnesses).
Commit further offences.
To be satisfied of one of the above the court must see evidence (e.g. previous examples of absconding or committing offences whilst on bail).
With one or two exception for very serious offences (mainly murder and manslaughter) the severity of the alleged offence is not an issue when deciding whether bail is appropriate. The court might find that the nature and seriousness of the offence means a lengthy custodial sentence might be imposed in the event of a conviction and this would lead to a greater likelihood of absconding, but that would be rare.
There is no such thing as an "open and shut case" Tora. M'Learned Friends will have told their clients that they are entitled to put the prosecution to proof. Since a custodial sentence is extremely unlikely and since the defendants are probably (on paper anyway) potless, they have little to lose.