Robbers smash hand-carved cathedral window in raid

[dutchman]

Part of Coventry Cathedral's famous West Screen, featuring carvings of saints and angels, has been smashed in a robbery.



Cash was stolen from the collection box during the robbery overnight.

Dean of Coventry, John Witcombe said: "We are appalled by the damage to one of Coventry's best-loved buildings.

"We are pleased that a recent government grant enabled us to install CCTV cameras throughout the site and we will be examining footage of the evening to identify those responsible."

The smashed glass is part of a screen depicting 66 figures that took artist John Hutton 10 years to create, said the cathedral.

[rebbonk]

[dutchman]

Police still hunting men who smashed iconic Coventry Cathedral window



The investigation into a break-in at Coventry Cathedral at the start of 2020 is still ongoing, say police.

The burglary, which took place on January 23, 2020, saw two men break into the cathedral and steal the collection money.

During the incident last year, the damage left by vandals destroyed one of the angels on Hutton's West Screen.

West Midlands Police officers released CCTV of people they wanted to speak to, however since then no arrests have been made.

The force has confirmed to CoventryLive that its investigation will continue if any new information or evidence comes to light.

The CCTV shows two men arriving and making off in a Nissan Almera, having smashed part of the West Screen, which was described as “priceless and irreplaceable".

PC Rob Morris from Coventry Police, previously said: “These men have destroyed a glass artwork of national heritage and gone on to steal money destined for charity. Their actions are truly despicable and have caused outrage in the community.

“I’m sure someone will suspect they know who’s responsible or have overheard someone talking about committing the crime.

“These people don’t deserve any protection and I would ask people to contact us if they have any information. They can call Crimestoppers anonymously and don’t have to leave their name or contact details. We just want to catch the offenders."

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 or message on Live Chat online, quoting crime reference 20CV/20527D/20.

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

[rebbonk]

If plod hasn't solved this by now, they aren't going to. This is a fairly low-level crime, they should be focusing their limited resources elsewhere.