St John the Baptist Church in Coventry targeted by vandals

[dutchman]

More than £10,000 damage has been done by vandals at a historic grade-I listed church in Coventry.


Mike Polanyk, the church's visitor coordinator, said the damage was "something we could have really done without"

The culprits used a boulder from outside St John the Baptist Church to deface the oak front door.

A large stained-glass window and at least two smaller windows were also smashed in the attack late on Monday afternoon.

The building, at the corner of Spon Street, is almost 700 years old. Police are investigating.

Cam Morgan, the church's events officer, said staff "felt sick" when they found the damage.

"A lot of us were close to tears," she said.

"It's not just a beautiful building but as a church it's a sacred place."

The church was mentioned in a document dated May 1344 in which King Edward II's widow granted the land for building a chapel in honour of St John the Baptist.

Ms Morgan said the repairs would cost the church at least £10,000.

Mike Polanyk, the church's visitor coordinator, said the damage was "something we could have really done without."

[rebbonk]

I am not religious, but respect the rights of others to be that way.

This is (likely) nothing more than the mindless vandalism that permeates today's society. There was (I hope) no purpose to it, other than to destroy what others enjoy. I'd like to see those convicted given a public birching, but I think we all know it'll be softly, softly and a slap on the wrist in the unlikely event that anyone is apprehended.

It is time that society started reinforcing decent honest values, and crimes that the lilly livered, yellow bellied, blue rinsed, liberal thinking, muppets, call 'minor', such as vandalism, housebreaking, mugging etc. became subject to very tough sentences that were properly adhered to.

[dutchman]

LIkewise, I have no religious beliefs myself but I deplore attacks on places of worship be they Christian, Muslim, Jewish or whatever.

[dutchman]

St John's Church vandalism: Man charged with criminal damage

A man has appeared in court charged with vandalising a Coventry church.

Peter Kerhat, of Clement Street, Stoke, was arrested on Monday by officers investigating a separate report of damage to a shop window.

Kerhat, aged 30, was charged with two counts of criminal damage and appeared at Coventry Magistrates Court yesterday.

St John the Baptist church, on the corner of Spon Street, was vandalised on October 21.

An oak door and three windows were damaged in the attack on the 14th century building.

[dutchman]

Vandal admits causing £10,000 damage to St John The Baptist Church in Coventry city centre

A vandal has admitted damaging the windows of a 14th Century Coventry city centre church.

Peter Kerhat hurled decorative stones through three windows of St John the Baptist church on the corner of Spon Street last year.

It cost £10,000 to repair them.

A judge at the crown court in Leamington was told Kerhat had pleaded guilty to four charges of causing criminal damage.

He had been detained at a secure psychiatric hospital after his arrest - but the court was told he no longer needs to be treated there.

Recorder Nigel Daly rejected a submission that Kerhat could be given a jail term which would lead to his immediate release.

Kerhat, 30, of Clement Street, Stoke, Coventry, was arrested after he had gone on to smash the window of a costume store, claiming to police that he did so because costumes frighten children.

And he also admitted damaging a car park barrier, saying that he did not believe people should have to pay to park, said prosecutor Jonathan Veasey-Pugh.

After being remanded in custody following his arrest, Kerhat was then transferred to the Reaside psychiatric unit in Birmingham.

Kerhat’s solicitor told the court a psychiatric report showed that he was now stable and no longer needed to remain in hospital.

And she told the judge: “I’m going to be asking for him to be given a custodial sentence which reflects the 22 weeks he’s already been in custody.

“He intends next week to go back to Slovakia, living with his parents. He has a job lined up there. He would remain at Reaside until his flight.”

Recorder Nigel Daly observed: “The doctor who prepared the report thinks it would be beneficial to him to go back to Slovakia.

My view is that it would be – as long as he keeps taking his medication. That would also be the case if he remained in this country; but if he remained in this country he would require some form of supervision.”

Told it was Kerhat’s intention to return to his family in Slovakia, Recorder Daly questioned: “What’s to prevent him saying ‘that’s it’ and just walking out and not returning to Slovakia? That’s the problem I’ve got.

“The other problem is that with a lot of these cases the offence has been committed because of the person concerned not taking their medication.

“I’m reluctant to pass a sentence today which would mean that if he stayed in this country, rather than going back to Slovakia, there would be no means of overseeing his mood changes, which would occur if he didn’t take his medication.

“He may say now ‘I want to go back to Slovakia,’ but once he leaves this courtroom I have no control over him whatsoever.”

Because he was unable to impose supervision conditions without a pre-sentence report assessment, he said he would adjourn for one to be prepared, commenting: “I’m not prepared to have him simply walk out without anything attached.”

Remanding Kerhat in custody, Recorder Daly told him: “I have seen the psychiatric report, and I think before you are sentenced there ought to be a full pre-sentence report.”