Gang who stripped lead from Peterborough church - and dozens of others across country - jailed

The four men targeted churches from Somerset to North Yorkshire during a two-year crime spree which left churches facing repair bills totalling more than £2 million.

St Stephen Church in Etton, near Peterborough, suffered damage in November 2018.

And half of the roof of a Grade I-listed church in Cambridgeshire was left “open to the sky” after its lead covering was removed in October 2018.

The theft at St Mary The Virgin Church in Gamlingay, Cambridgeshire, caused damage estimated at more than £100,000.

The counties hardest hit by the crime spree were Lincolnshire, Somerset, Cambridgeshire and Yorkshire.

Thefts also occurred from churches in Wiltshire, Suffolk, Leicestershire and Derbyshire.

Constantin Motescu, 32, of Stebbings, Sutton Hill, Telford, admitted 23 charges of theft. Paul Buica, 25, of George Street, Birmingham, admitted 16 thefts. Mihai Birtu, 24, of Port Street, Evesham, admitted 14 thefts. Laurentiu Sucea, 38, of George Street, Birmingham, admitted 13 thefts.

The gang were arrested in March 2020 after police set up a special unit to investigate the large number of church lead theft cases.

Michael Cranmer-Brown, prosecuting, said “These defendants played a hugely significant part in an organised crime group whose target was lead sheeting which can be found on the roofs of churches around the country.

“The defendants travelled the length and breadth of the country to churches set in small rural locations arriving there in the early hours of the morning, climbing on to the roof and removing large amounts of lead under cover of darkness.

“The churches attacked were located in Lincolnshire, Humberside, Derbyshire, Cambridgeshire, Wiltshire and Avon & Somerset. Lincolnshire as a county was particularly hard hit.”

The damage to one church, St Bartholomews at Covenham in Lincolnshire was valued at £250,000 and the other targeted churches all suffered significant damage with the loss of the lead causing water ingress which damaged the inside of the buildings.

The prosecutor said that loss of lead damaged not only the church buildings but caused serious problems to the local communities.

“These buildings not only provided a focal point for Church of England services but they provide a hub for the wider community to hold events, functions for charity, coffee mornings and performances of music. They also provide a venue for the most important events in the lives of the population such as weddings, baptisms and funerals.They are the epicentre of the local community.”

“The total damage and loss to the churches was in excess of £2 million.”

Mr Cranmer-Brown said that the churches were targeted after the defendants trawled the internet for potential targets.

They used hire vehicles many of which had tracking devices which provided evidence for the police as to exactly where they had been.

The lead was rolled up from the roof and thrown onto the ground sometimes damaging gravestones in the churchyard. The gang sold it within hours to a recycling business in Birmingham receiving thousands of pounds in payments made directly into their bank accounts

The individual churches were each left to foot the repair bills themselves as many could only obtain insurance cover for damage up to £7,500 and others were unable to obtain any insurance.

Motescu and Sucea were each jailed for six and a half years. Buica was jailed for six years. Birtu was jailed for three years and seven months.

A hearing to confiscate the available assets of the defendants was adjourned to a later date.

Judge Catarina Sjolin Knight said “This was an organised, sophisticated and persistent operation which targeted country churches across England for their lead. Each theft required significant planning and team work both to conduct the theft.

“The harm was high because of the heavy consequential financial losses occasioned by the thefts, the impact on the local and wider community and the damage to heritage assets.”

The offences occurred between May 2018 and March 2020. The crime wave prompted a joint investigation between Lincolnshire Police, Cambridgeshire Police, Avon and Somerset Constabulary and Humberside Police named “Operation History”

A Somerset church was forced to plan costly structural changes after lead ripped from its roof in March last year.

St Peter and St Paul’s Church in South Petherton was attacked by the thieves who stripped the entire south aisle roof.

Churches across England were targeted with lead valued at £50,000 stolen from St Andrew’s Church in the Lincolnshire village of Billingborough during December 2019.

Among those other churches which fell victim in Lincolnshire were St Nicholas in Normanton, St Lawrence in Tallington, St Mary & St Nicholas at Wrangle, St Andrew’s in Billingborough, St Swithin’s at Baumber and St Bartholomew at Covenham St Bartholomew.

The thefts in Somerset included the Church of St Edward King and Martyr, Goathurst, Bridgwater, St Mary’s Church, Glastonbury, St Giles’ Church, Bradford on Tone, Taunton, Church of St Andrew and St Mary, Pitminster, St John the Baptist Church, Wellington, and St Peter and St Paul’s Church, South Petherton.

Among those targeted in East Yorkshire were four churches which fell victim in September 2019.

Damage was caused at St Peter’s, Langtoft; St Mary’s, Lockington; St Peter’s, Wawne; and St Lawrence’s, Sigglesthorne.

All Saints Church in the Derbyshire village of Bradley was targeted in June 2019.

And lead worth around £30,000 was also stolen from a church near Bury St Edmunds, in Suffolk. All Saints Church, in Hartest, was targeted between October 14 and 16, 2019.

During 2019 Lincolnshire Police set up a dedicated team to work with the Diocese of Lincoln after the spike in lead theft cases.

Chief inspector Phil Vickers said: “During 2019 Lincolnshire Police worked with the Lincoln Diocese and individual church premises across the county, providing site-specific advice to 53 premises as well as broader guidance to prevent offending, in addition to several hundred site visits that had been carried out previously.

“The impact of these offences goes well beyond the significant financial cost. Communities have felt a great sense of loss at the damage caused to their heritage, and increased vulnerability due to the rural nature of many of the premises.

“We know that in addition to the loss of lead, extensive damage has been caused to the fabric of the buildings by water ingress during bad weather.

“We continue to work with rural communities to prevent offending, and encourage anyone seeing or hearing anything suspicious at Heritage Sites, particularly at night but also during the day, to contact Police immediately.”

Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England said: “The outcome of this case highlights the benefits of collaborative working between the Police, Crown Prosecution Service, church communities and Historic England and is an approach we shall continue to use when dealing with metal theft.

“The theft of metal from historic church buildings is a serious and organised crime.

“Removing large areas of lead or copper from roofs has not just a serious financial effect on church communities but a huge effect on their morale.”

Mark Harrison, Head of Heritage Crime Strategy for Historic England said: “The metal stolen will have historic and cultural value and its removal leads to irreparable damage to protected heritage buildings, which is why tackling this problem is so important.”