Four thieves who ripped lead off church roof are jailed for 22 years
A GROUP of thieves who ripped the roof off a church near Ashbourne have been jailed for 22 years.
The men, who all lived in the West Midlands, targeted All Saints Church in Bradley in June 2019.
They ripped the lead off the roof causing substantial damage, an incident that was mirrored at other churches they hit across the UK.
The four spent two years taking lead from church roofs in eight counties, leaving the churches with repair bills totalling more than £2 million.
The crime spree was so concerning that police set up a special unit to investigate the large number of lead thefts from churches, which eventually led to the gang being arrested in March 2020.
At Lincoln Crown Court it was revealed that Constantin Motescu, 32, of Stebbings, Sutton Hill, Telford; Paul Buica, 25, of George Street, Birmingham; Mihai Birtu, 24, of Port Street, Evesham; and Laurentiu Sucea, 38, of George Street, Birmingham, trawled the internet to find suitable churches to target.
Once they had decided which places to go to, the group would roll the lead from the roof and throw it to the ground, sometimes damaging gravestones.
It was then sold within hours to a recycling business in Birmingham, with the men receiving thousands of pounds in payment.
The men used hire vehicles to reach their targets, many of which had tracking devices fitted to them, something that helped police know exactly where they had been.
The offences, which began in May 2018 and continued for nearly two years, were only put to a stop after Lincolnshire Police, Cambridgeshire Police, Avon and Somerset Police and Humberside Police set up a joint investigation into what was happening.
Michael Cranmer-brown, prosecuting, said the men had targeted places that were focal points in local communities. “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,” he said. “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.
“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.”
Motescu admitted to 23 charges of theft, Buica to 16 thefts, Birtu to 14 thefts and Sucea to 13 thefts.
In mitigation the court was told all four defendants had entered guilty pleas to a large number of charges once their roles were identified by the prosecution.
On Wednesday, January 6, Motescu and Sucea were each jailed for six-and-a-half years, Buica was jailed for six years and Birtu was jailed for three years and seven months. A hearing to confiscate the available assets of the defendants has been adjourned to a later date.
Judge Catarina Sjolin Knight said: “This was an organised, sophisticated and persistent operation. Each theft required significant planning and team work and there were heavy consequential financial losses as a result.”
Each theft required significant planning and team work to conduct
Judge Catarina Sjolin Knight