News by email Donate

Suggestions

Top Stories

Most Read

Popular Videos

Church roof.jpg
Alamy
Church roof.jpg
Alamy
UK News

Man found guilty of spree of church lead thefts

by Sophie Drew

A 26-year-old man from Ilford, has been found guilty of stealing lead sheeting from 15 churches in various counties throughout the UK. 

The jury at Lincoln Crown Court found Madalin Gabriel Prundaru guilty on all 18 counts of theft. 

Churches targeted in Lincolnshire included St Nicholas Church at Walcot, which experienced thefts twice in late August 2016. Other affected churches were St Botolph's in Newton and the Church of St Denys in Kirkby la Thorpe near Sleaford, as well as St Andrew's Church at Witham on the Hill earlier in 2016. 

An additional eleven churches across the Midlands were also targeted.

The crimes, which took place between May and August 2016, resulted in an estimated £461,000 worth of damage to the affected churches.

During his testimony, Prundaru stated that he arrived in the UK in October 2015 and initially worked in construction. Later, he was offered night work by a man who visited his mother's home. 

Prundaru claimed he was told it was "construction" work involving old buildings requiring repairs. "I trusted him, so I went wherever he did," he said.

Prundaru admitted to being paid £25 for each job and that his role consisted of loading metal into a vehicle after it was passed to him by others, BBC News reports.

However, he insisted that it was too dark for him to see where the material came from.

Judge James House KC has adjourned Prundaru's sentencing until April 28 for the preparation of a probation report and granted him conditional bail.

In doing so, the judge clarified that ordering a report does not indicate what type of sentence will be given. 

This case highlights a concerning trend of thefts targeting churches and underscores the need for increased security measures in these sacred spaces.

A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference

In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.

Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.

For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.

Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.

Support Us
Continue the conversation on our Facebook page

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed with news from a Christian perspective.

News by email

Connect

Donate

Donate