Men jailed after stealing plaques from war memorial

The plaques were stolen from a war memorial in Ilfracombe

Two men have been jailed after they tried to sell six bronze plaques stolen from a war memorial.

Ben Pearsall, 39, of Fore Street in Langtree, Torrington, and Jason Vickery, 43, of Barton Tors, Bideford, were arrested at a metal recycling yard in Barnstaple.

Staff at the recycling yard had been alerted by police to look out for the stolen bronze plaques.

Both men were jailed for 10 months at Exeter Crown Court.

The pair had previously pleaded guilty at Exeter Magistrates' Court on 13 January.

Ben Pearsall, 39, was one of the men jailed

The war memorial was the centrepiece of a memorial garden at the Holy Trinity Church yard at Ilfracombe.

It was dedicated on Armistice Day, 1924, after being paid for by public subscription and was created in granite and bronze by local craftsmen. It is a Grade II-listed historical monument.

Both men wrote letters of apology which said they were remorseful because their own families had lost relatives during the two World Wars.

'Pair of chancers'

The plaques were reported stolen from Ilfracombe War Memorial, Church Street, on 11 January, Devon and Cornwall Police said.

They were recovered when the men were arrested a few days later but had suffered damage around their edges where they were removed.

Judge Stephen Climie described the men as "a pair of chancers".

He said: "No-one in this court should lose sight of the loss of lives between 1914 and 1918 and 1939 and 1945 which allowed us to survive as a nation.

"Memorials exist all across the country, including in Ilfracombe, which commemorate that commitment.

"They are a national treasure.

"What you two did is to abuse the memory of all those whose lives were lost and all that commitment, including members of your own families."

Pearsall also admitted carrying a knife and going equipped for theft in Bideford in October 2022 and he received a further four months in prison.

Miss Hollie Gilbery, for Pearsall, and Miss Laila Jhaveru, for Vickery, said the offences had been opportunistic and committed at a time when both men were using drugs.