Vicar in despair as teen yobs smash church windows
INCIDENT TOOK PLACE JUST BEFORE CHRISTINGLE SERVICE
A DISAPPOINTED vicar has hit out at teenage yobs who he claims smashed his church windows and covered the floor in glass making it too dangerous to hold a school’s Christmas service.
Father Alan Raine of St Andrew’s Church in Whinbrooke, Gateshead, was forced to move a children’s Christingle event after a section of guttering was hurled through the glazing.
The church, which has been the target of similar attacks in the past, is in the heart of a neighbourhood plagued with anti-social behaviour leaving pensioners too scared to go out after dark. Speaking to the Chronicle, Father Alan said: “I think they’re very sad and they should not take it out on the building. I’ve been here 14 years and the building has undergone lots of anti-social behaviour. I would hate to think what would happen if I had been here having a service. The glass was all over the floor. They’re small windows really but the amount of glass was unbelievable.”
Last Thursday afternoon at about 4pm, Father Alan was outside his house when he spotted two teenage boys standing on the roof of the church hall.
He shouted up at them to get down but they said that they were looking for a football which they believed was in his adjacent garden.
Having just walked through his garden, Alan assured them it was not and then went back into his house to get ready for White Mere school’s lighted candle event happening at the church that night.
“I came back at about 5pm into the church and found they had smashed four of the windows and thrown a culvert into here”, he said.
“The glass was all littered over the floor.”
The high windows above the aisles on the left side of the 1960s building had been shattered and sent thousands of pieces of glass crashing down on to the pews below. Because the windows would only be accessible from the roof, Father Alan suspected it was the teenagers he’d seen earlier.
He said the 30 parents and children who had gathered outside the church doors awaiting the service quickly offered to help with the clean-up and began sweeping up the shards of broken window.
However, there was too much and it soon became clear that it would be too dangerous to host the children’s Christmas event in the church so it was moved to the hall instead. Most of the windows have now been fixed but some with minor holes remain damaged. Despite declaring the night a success, Father Alan remains concerned about the future welfare of the church owing to its location in the estate.
Only a week before this latest act of vandalism, the windows above the altar at the back of the building had also been cracked. Father Alan said that the anti-social behaviour “comes in spats” but assured the public that it will not deter worshippers nor threaten the closure of the church in its busy festive period.
Horace Valentine, 86, who lives opposite the church, said that he does not go out after dark through fear of the gang of yobs who loiter outside it.
He told the Chronicle: “I can often see them climbing on the roof from my house. I don’t go out after dark anymore. At my age you don’t want to be taking any risks.”
Police confirm they received a call about criminal damage to the church and have said that enquiries are ongoing.
Sgt Paul Cook, of Northumbria Police, said: “We are taking action against one individual who will be referred to our Youth Offending Team, while we already have a civil injunction in place against another juvenile offender.
“I would always encourage members of the public to come forward and report any incidents of youth disorder to police, and would ask parents to support officers by being aware of their children’s whereabouts on evenings. Enquiries are ongoing to identify those involved.”