Lead thefts left villagers ‘crushed and devastated’
Published on 7th August 2017
Four men who were in a gang stealing lead from rural Norfolk church roofs were caught by police near Wisbech after a chase, the Eastern Daily Press reported on 21st July.
The court heard how the raiders stole lead from one of our churches, St Mary’s Church, Baconsthorpe, near Holt, on the evening of March 3-4 and again on the evening of April 26-27, causing about £100,000 of damage.
Frank Burton QC said members of the church community were left “totally crushed and devastated” by thefts and doubted their ability to raise enough money to fix the roofs. All four men, who were based in the Coventry area, pleaded guilty on June 19 to one count of conspiracy to steal lead from churches between March 1 and May 21 this year. In mitigation, the court heard the men felt “genuine remorse” for the crimes.
The Eastern Daily Press continues its campaign called ‘Stop the Roof Raiders’ which aims to raise awareness of this region-wide issue.
