Lead thieves gut historic churches, cost communities £2.1 million
Four men have been jailed for stripping tonnes of lead from 36 Grade 1 and Grade 2 listed churches across England, causing nearly £2.1 million in damage between May 2018 and March 2020.
Thieves face hefty jail terms
The gang targeted churches spanning Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Cambridgeshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Avon and Somerset, Suffolk, Yorkshire, Humberside, and Lincolnshire. Their haul of stolen lead was worth far less than the astronomical repair costs left to devastated church communities.
All four men pleaded guilty to a total of 36 charges of theft and appeared at Lincoln Crown Court on Wednesday 6 January 2021:
- Constantin Motescu, 32, from Telford – 23 theft charges, sentenced to 6½ years
- Paul Buica, 25, Birmingham – 16 thefts, jailed for 6 years
- Mihai Birtu, 24, Evesham – 14 thefts, sentenced to 3 years 7 months
- Laurentiu Sucea, 38, Birmingham – 13 thefts, jailed for 6½ years
Communities left picking up the pieces
“Some of the church congregations are still struggling to find the funds to repair the damage… The insurance only covers a small part of the costs so congregations have been left to foot the remainder of the bill.” – Det Chief Insp Jon Shield
Detective Chief Inspector Jon Shield praised the dedicated effort from police, local dioceses, and Historic England to crack down on this damaging crime spree. He warned the destruction stretched beyond finances: “Communities have felt a great sense of loss at the damage caused to their heritage.”
Many affected churches are ancient landmarks, some thousands of years old. Investigations continue into how the thieves spent the cash gained from the lead raids.
Historic England condemns ‘organised crime’
Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England, said: “The theft of metal from historic church buildings is a serious and organised crime… it has a huge effect not only financially but on the morale of church communities.”
Mark Harrison, Head of Heritage Crime Strategy, added: “The metal stolen has historic and cultural value. Its removal causes irreparable damage to protected heritage buildings.”
List of churches hit by lead thieves
The gang targeted many cherished churches including:
- St Marys Church, Gamlingay, Cambridgeshire
- St Nicholas Church, Normanton, Lincolnshire
- All Saints Church, Poyntington, Dorset
- St Lawrence’s Church, Tallington, Lincolnshire
- St Peters Church, Stourton, Wiltshire
- Church of St Mary, Chesterblade, Avon and Somerset
- St Giles Church, Bradford on Tone, Avon and Somerset
- And many more across the Midlands and the South West
The haul may have netted the crooks only scrap value, but the impact on communities and heritage is priceless—and the scars they’ve left will take years to heal.
