Man appears in court accused of causing £100,000 worth of damage to church in Derry/Londonderry

By Garrett Hargan

A Derry man has been accused of causing £100,000 worth of damage to a local church after going on a ‘rampage’ during which a bible was smeared with ‘faecal matter’.

James Kennedy, 22, of Glenside Park, is charged with entering Christ Church, Infirmary Road, as a trespasser on September 12 where he is alleged to have stolen a priceless crystal decanter, communion wine, organ surplus, and a readers’ robe.

He is also alleged to have damaged a stain glass window, organ, and bible during the incident.

Another individual questioned by police about the incident has been released on bail.

A police officer told the court that on the date in question a report was made about a burglary at the church when a member of the Church of Ireland parish team discovered a broken monitor on the floor and sought assistance from the Archdeacon.

It was then discovered that someone had gained entry by using a chair to smash a 19th Century stain glass window.

Inside the Church, Kennedy, along with his co-accused, is suspected of going on a ‘rampage’ during which they pulled a monitor from a ‘bespoke commissioned organ’ which was donated to the church in 2000 following a fire four years earlier.

The police officer believed the monitor was ripped off as those responsible thought it was connected to CCTV, but it was part of the organ.

Repairs to the organ will cost around £50,000 and damage to the window is valued at £10,000, according to the PSNI.

During the incident, the court heard that a bible was thrown from the alter and pages ripped from it are ‘believed to contain faecal matter’, which was also ‘smeared on the organ and around the church’.

A bottle containing communion wine was also believed to have been consumed before it was smashed.

The police officer explained that the crystal decanter may have a monetary value, but it is deemed priceless by the church as it was made in memory of a church member who had passed away.

The readers’ robes also hold sentimental value as they are presented to senior members of the church, she added.

In total, damage caused was said to be in the region of £75,000-£100,000.

Linking the defendant to the crime, the police officer said that two males were captured on Brooke Park CCTV around 7.40am ‘swigging from cans’ of beer.

They were then observed climbing over a fence into the grounds of Christ Church around 8am and didn’t resurface until 10.24am when they exited through the main gate on to Infirmary Road.

The two individuals disappeared for some time before returning around 11.15am and are once again spotted at the rear of the Church around 1pm, and one of the men had a backpack on throughout.

Following widespread media reports about the incident Foyle PSNI launched Operation Exposure on its Facebook page by posting photos of the two individuals it believed to be responsible.

Members of the public identified Kennedy as one of the men in the photos and his own mother rang police explaining that he would attend the police station.

He was arrested on Wednesday, October 4, after voluntarily attending and during police interview confirmed he was the male captured on CCTV footage at 7.40am in Brooke Park.

The 22-year-old admitted he was drunk, said he was in Brooke Park, accepted that it was ‘possible’ that he climbed the fence into the church grounds, and told police that ‘it looks like me and (his co-accused)’ leaving at 10.24am.

When asked if the alleged offences were ‘motivated by hate’ and if he could account for the stolen items he made no comment.

DNA evidence was gathered at the scene and is currently being examined.

Defence solicitor Paddy McGurk said his client has ‘fully cooperated’, has denied the offences and expressed his ‘revulsion at the acts’

The defendant, who has no criminal record, has stated that he did not enter the church at any stage.

Mr McGurk said that no distinction has been made between his client and the other individual accused in the case, yet that man has been released on police bail.

The defence solicitor said there was nothing in Kennedy’s background to suggest that he would be sectarian and he has friends of differing faiths.

He accepted that there was evidence his client was in the church grounds but said that Kennedy denies being inside the church and there should be a presumption of innocence.

District judge Barney McElholm said there was ‘certainly evidence to place him around the scene but not necessarily in the church...but it’s all very coincidental’.

He explained that it will depend on what forensic evidence is unearthed and if it places him inside the church it would prove that his denials were lies which ‘would tell its own story as to what will happen in the case’.

“There is a degree of suspicion, but no proof beyond a reasonable doubt...,” he added.

If there was a clear religious or sectarian element to the incident such as graffiti daubed on the walls it ‘would be an extremely aggravating factor’.

But if it was motivated by ‘sectarian hatred that is absolutely outrageous and would be rightly punished very severely by the court’, Judge McElholm said.

After considering the risks posed by releasing the defendant, Judge McElholm decided to grant him bail believing that there must be a presumption of innocence.

Kennedy was granted his own bail of £500 with a surety of £750 to reside at his home address.

Strict bail conditions prohibit the defendant from consuming alcohol or drugs, he must not go within 200m of Christ Church or Brooke Park, and must have no contact with his co-accused or witnesses in the case including the Archdeacon.

The 22-year-old will appear in court again on November 2.