Man arrested for trying to steal Magna Carta
A MAN armed with a hammer has been arrested for attempting to steal Magna Carta from Salisbury Cathedral.
The raider smashed three holes in the display case containing the 13thcentury document but fled when the alarm bell sounded.
He left the Chapter House and ran into the cloisters but was caught by staff as he tried to leave through the works yard at 5pm on Thursday.
Police arrested a 45-year-old man on suspicion of attempted theft, possession of an offensive weapon and criminal damage. He was yesterday questioned in custody.
The Dean of Salisbury, The Rev Canon Nicholas Papadopulos said: “There were cathedral volunteers, staff and members of the public in the vicinity at the time. He ran into the cloisters and tried to leave the cathedral through the works yard. He was then detained by our works yard staff.”
A female witness said she heard shouts before the man was apprehended in the cathedral grounds in front of several visitors.
She told the Salisbury Journal: “It looked like some men play-fighting but as they got through the gates I saw a hammer drop to the floor and one of the men kicked it into the road while another man held on to him.”
Police confirmed the charter was not damaged and nobody was injured.
Canon Papadopulos said he was unsure how the suspect entered armed with a hammer and admitted the incident had caused “great shock”.
The 800-year-old document will be temporarily replaced by a replica until the cabinet, which is protected by two layers of thick glass, has been repaired. Security arrangements are set to be reviewed. Salisbury’s Magna Carta of 1215 is the best preserved of only four surviving original documents. The other three are held at The British Library and Lincoln Castle.
The copy in Salisbury Cathedral was written immediately after the rights were formally agreed at Runnymede and sent out across the country as evidence of the decision.
King John issued Magna Carta after agreeing peace terms with a band of rebel barons, and it is now one of the world’s most celebrated legal documents.
It established for the first time that neither monarch nor government was above the law and set out principles of liberty which echoed through the centuries.
Canon Papadopulos said: “It is our greatest treasure but, more importantly, it is a treasure to the whole nation and the whole world because it is a cornerstone document in our history of human liberty and human dignity.
“It has been the basis for all sorts of other declarations of human rights and documents around the world.”