Man found guilty of stealing lead from Lincolnshire Churches
There was a spate of thefts in 2016
A man's been found guilty of stealing lead sheeting from 15 Churches across the Midlands including four in Lincolnshire.
A jury at Lincoln Crown Court found 26-year-old Madalin Gabriel Prundaru, from Redbridge Lane East, Ilford guilty of all 18 lead theft charges after deliberating for over four hours.
He had denied the charges.
The trial began on Monday 20th March and concluded on Thursday 24th March.
He'll be sentenced next month.
All the offences took place during a spate of attacks by groups of men on churches between May and August, 2016 which caused damage estimated at £461,000.
Churches targeted in Lincolnshire included St Nicholas Church in Walcot, which fell victim to thieves twice in late August 2016, St Botolph's in Newton and The Church of St Denys in Kirkby la Thorpe, along with St Andrew's Church at Witham on the Hill.
Eleven other churches across the Midlands fell victim to lead thefts.
They included two churches in Oxfordshire, and St Nicholas Church in Fyfield, Wiltshire.
Two churches in Northamptonshire were also targetted, St Margaret's Church at Luddington, which was struck twice, and St Andrew's Church at Cotterstock.
Two churches in Rutland, including St Mary's at Manton and St Edmund's at Egleton.
And four churches in Leicestershire. They included St Mary's at Wyfordby, St Mary's at Garthorpe, All Saints Church in Beeby and St Peter and Paul's Church at Sywell which was struck twice.
Prundaru was released on conditional bail until 28 April when he will be sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court.