Church arsonist won’t face justice
OFFICERS TO CLOSE CASE BECAUSE OF LACK OF EVIDENCE
AN arsonist torched an historic church – causing £5m-worth of damage – but will not face justice after police closed the investigation because of a lack of evidence, the M.E.N. can reveal.
The Church of Ascension, in Salford, went up in flames in February. The fire was visible across the city as crews battled to save the Grade IIlisted building.
Police later issued footage of a man they wanted to speak to in connection with the blaze. It showed a man – or possibly a teenager – running away from the church minutes before the alarm was raised on the night of February 12.
The footage was pulled from Whitsun Avenue, near Hatton Gardens, just a few hundred yards from the church.
A man was later arrested. No one has been charged.
The M.E.N. understands the evidence gathered by detectives has not met the threshold for a file to be sent to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
The investigation has now been closed, but would re-open if new evidence was uncovered.
The first call to the fire service came at 11.08pm. Around 30 firefighters fought the flames into the early hours day.
By dawn, the extent of the damage caused was clear. Just a husk of the 1869 building remained.
A £5m scheme to restore the glorious example of Victorian Gothic architecture – which was designated a world heritage site in 1998 – has begun.
The person – or people – responsible for the attack, which hit the community hard, remain free.
The building had just undergone a £250,000 renovation.
Five days after the fire, Det Sgt Karl Dalton, of GMP’s Salford Borough, said: “We have tasked a team of detectives with this investigation and made significant progress since the large fire took hold and destroyed the church.
“In particular, we need to speak with anyone who may have seen a group of youths on bikes near to the church around the time of the fire.”
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0161 856 546, or 101, quoting reference number 2352 of February 12. Reports can also be made via Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.