Father and son admit church burglary spree
CHURCH officials have welcomed the news that a father and son duo have admitted committing a spate of burglaries in the area.
Gregory Hawkshaw and his son, Danny, left a trail of destruction at places of worship across the area including two in Scarisbrick.
They carried out their thefts between September 30 and October 16 this year and pleaded guilty to the charges at Sefton Magistrates last Thursday.
St Mark’s Church in Southport Road, Scarisbrick and Post Office Methodist Church in Bescar Lane, Scarisbrick, were both burgled in the string of vandalism and thefts.
At St Mark’s, £400 in cash was stolen but nothing was taken from Bescar Lane. Neither church was available for comment.
They were just two of 12 places of worship that were hit in Southport and West Lancashire before the Hawkshaws were arrested and charged.
Rev Ian Mainey, from St James and St Peters, Birkdale, said: “I’m very pleased they have been caught but I hope they realise the amount of damage they have done – not just in terms of what they have stolen, but the criminal damage and destruction they have caused the churches themselves.
“Some of our repairs will be funded by the insurance, but we will also have to take from the church funds.
“And it’s taking a lot of time because not only do we have to wait for the insurance to come through, but because the churches are listed buildings, any refurbishment or repair works have to be approved by the Diocese.
“The actions of [Gregory Hawkshaw and Danny Hawkshaw] have had a negative impact on many, many local people and I just hope they are remorseful over what they have done.”
St Johns has been in desperate need of extensive renovation works for some time.
In November 2011 a fundraising appeal for £150,000 was launched after worshippers had to vacate the church after the roof was deemed unsafe. Since then, congregation members have spent considerable time and effort raising funds for repair works to be done, with the roof repaired last year.
However, the damage caused by the break-in has set them back.
Chris York, of St Johns, said: “[They] have done a lot of damage, which takes a lot of time to fix.
“The church has been steadily growing despite main building remaining closed for now. Hopefully, we can start work on the internal development next year – funds permitting.”