Man found guilty of stealing lead from 15 churches

Madalin Gabriel Prundaru was found guilty of stealing lead sheeting from 15 churches across the Midlands, including four in Lincolnshire

A man has been found guilty of stealing lead sheeting from 15 churches.

Madalin Gabriel Prundaru, 26, of Redbridge Lane East, Ilford, had denied 18 charges of theft.

But a jury at Lincoln Crown Court found him guilty on all counts after deliberating for more than four hours.

Prundaru stole from churches in Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and Rutland, the court heard. The thefts caused an estimated £461,000 of damage.

The offences occurred between May and August 2016.

Giving evidence, Prundaru told the jury he came to the UK in October 2015 and briefly worked in construction before being offered some night work by a man who came to his mother's home.

Prundaru said he was only told it was "construction" work.

"He said it was old buildings and we needed to take stuff off to repair them," he told the court. "I trusted him, so I went wherever he did."

Prundaru said he was paid £25 for each job.

St Nicholas Church in Walcot was twice targeted by thieves

He admitted his role was to load metal into a vehicle after it was passed to him by others, but claimed it was too dark too see where the material was coming from.

Churches targeted in Lincolnshire included St Nicholas Church at Walcot, which fell victim to thieves twice in late August 2016.

Two other churches near Sleaford - St Botolph's in Newton and the Church of St Denys in Kirkby la Thorpe - were also targeted around the same period, along with St Andrew's Church at Witham on the Hill earlier in 2016.

Eleven other churches across the Midlands also fell victim to lead thefts.

Judge James House KC adjourned sentence on Prundaru until 28 April for the preparation of a probation report and granted him conditional bail.

He said: "By ordering a report I am giving you no indication of sentence."