A life-size chocolate sculpture of the acclaimed actor Benedict Cumberbatch has been left in ruins following several assaults from over eager fans across the Easter weekend.

It was installed at a busy London shopping centre to celebrate the launch of TV channel Drama on the new on demand service uktvplay.co.uk, following a national poll which named the star as Britain’s dishiest dramatic actor.

The sculpture was secretly filmed with hidden cameras across the weekend which caught shoppers in the act as they licked, chewed and chomped their way through Cumberbatch’s confectionary counterpart.

Following the installation, Chocobatch, as the sculpture has been affectionately named, was left with missing ears, bow tie, fingers and parts of his head.  Security believe all the key evidence has been eaten.

The prank involved installing a life-sized chocolate model of the Sherlock star over the busy Easter weekend in London’s Westfield Stratford City shopping centre. Producers worked through the early hours of the morning to place hidden cameras in strategic locations to capture the best reactions from unwary shoppers.

Watch the events unfold below: