Man who stole lead from church roofs was exploited, court told

St Deny's Church, in Sleaford, was one of a number of churches targeted

A man found guilty of stealing lead sheeting from 15 churches was exploited by his cousin, a court has heard.

Madalin Gabriel Prundaru, 26, of Redbridge Lane East, Ilford, was given a community order after a jury found him guilty of 18 charges of theft.

Prundaru stole from churches in Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and Rutland, Lincoln Crown Court heard.

Judge James House KC said Prundaru had been "easy prey" for exploitation.

The offences occurred between May and August 2016 and the thefts caused an estimated £461,000 of damage.

St Mary's Church in Souldren, Oxfordshire, was left badly damaged by the theft

St Nicholas Church in Walcot, Lincolnshire, and nearby St Boltoph's Church in Newton, were two of the sites targeted.

The Church of St Denys in Kirkby la Thorpe, along with St Andrew's Church at Witham on the Hill were also targeted along with 11 other churches across the Midlands.

In a statement read in court, the Reverend Nicholas Munday said the attacks had "devastated" the community.

"It's been necessary to find large sums of money for the repairs," he said.

"Both [churches] are beautiful listed buildings and part of our national heritage. The loss of lead has caused damage to the exterior and interior."

The court heard that Prundaru had apologised and was remorseful for being involved in the thefts.

He was 19 at the time of the incidents and after losing his job at a supermarket, his cousin Gigi Lovan Prundaru asked him to help load lead into a van.

The court heard that Gigi Prundaru would identify a suitable church on Google Earth and a gang would leave London late at night equipped to steal the lead, which would then be sold.

Madalin Prundaru was paid between £30 and £50 for a night's work.

Gigi Prundaru, left, and Laurentiu Rebeca were jailed for their roles in the thefts

The judge said Gigi Prundaru had already been jailed for six years and one month for his role in the thefts and another man, Laurentiu Ilie Rebeca, had been jailed for four years and 10 months.

He said a psychological report showed Madalin Prundaru had learning difficulties.

"You followed them like a lamb and you were paid a pittance for what you did," the judge told Prundaru.

"You were easy prey and it would have been difficult for you to stand up to your cousin and the others."

Prundaru had been wearing an electronic tag for five years, since he was released on bail in 2018, the court heard.

He was sentenced to a 24-month community order and 30 days of rehabilitation activity at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday.

Det Con Andrew Woodcock said the theft had "caused significant distress to the local communities of the churches they targeted".

He added: "Some of these churches, four years later, are still completing repairs."

Historic England chief executive Duncan Wilson said: "The theft of metal from historic church buildings is a serious and organised crime.

"Removing large areas of lead or copper from roofs has not just a significant financial effect on church communities but a huge effect on their morale."