Two men jailed after stealing historic stone from local churches
They were arrested during a joint force operation
Between January and March 2022 the men had taken historic York stone of historic significance, with some of it being grade one listed.
It had been taken from locations including the Church of All Saints at Glossop in Derbyshire, All Saints Church in Grindon, Staffordshire and St Mary’s Church at Astbury, Cheshire.
As an investigation into the theft at St Mary’s Church took place, a vehicle caught on CCTV was spotted with further evidence linking to the crimes.
Raids were carried out on Wednesday 27 July at addresses in Middleton, Oldham and Rochdale by officers from Cheshire Constabulary’s Rural Crime Team with the assistance of colleagues from Lancashire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, and Greater Manchester Police.
The investigation determined where the stolen stone had been sold on. A supplier of illicit number plates was also identified, searched under warrant and shut down. Three involved stolen vehicles were also recovered and returned to their rightful owners.
Three men appeared at Chester Crown Court yesterday, Wednesday 21 December.
49-year-old Jason Perry from Wallshaw Street, Oldham pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to steal stone, driving whilst disqualified and handling a stolen vehicle. He was sentenced to four years imprisonment.
Connor Lipinski, who's 28 and from Gale Court Rochdale, admitted the conspiracy to steal stone at an earlier hearing. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment.
Owen Lipinski, 31, from Gale Court Rochdale also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal stone. He was handed a 15 month suspended sentence.
Mark Harrison, Head of Heritage Crime Strategy at Historic England said:
“The outcome of this case highlights the benefits of collaborative working between the Cheshire Constabulary, Crown Prosecution Service, church communities and Historic England and is an approach we shall continue to use when dealing with the theft of historic stone.
“The theft of stone from historic church buildings is serious organised acquisitive crime.
“Removing large areas of paving from church buildings has not just a serious financial impact on church communities but a significant impact on their morale.
“The stone stolen in this case will have historic and cultural value and its removal can lead to irreparable loss and damage not just to individual communities but to the whole nation, which is why tackling this type of heritage crime is so important.”