Mayor of Derry and Strabane condemns desecration of church

The Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Councillor John Boyle, has condemned the weekend burglary of a church in Sion Mills that resulted in the desecration of a stained glass window.
By The Newsroom
Published 22nd Oct 2018, 12:41 BST
Updated 22nd Oct 2018, 13:45 BST
Attack.Attack.
Attack.

Police in Strabane are currently investigating the incident, which is believed to have occurred in the early hours of Sunday.

St. Theresa's Church and a restaurant across the street were both targeted by thieves, the PSNI said.

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The Mayor said: “This is an appalling attack on a much loved place of worship and a valued centre for the local community. I want to utterly condemn the incident, it’s disgraceful that the perpetrators of this crime would have so little regard for a local Church and its parishioners.

“I also want to condemn the burglary of a nearby restaurant which was targeted on the same night. Sion Mills is a close knit local community and this type of anti-social behaviour impacts on everyone who lives in the area and will not be tolerated. I would encourage anyone with any information on the incident to contact the PSNI directly.”

Two tills and an ATM reader were stolen from the restaurant however these have since been recovered and will be forensically examined.

Anyone who was in the Melmount Road area at any time overnight and who may be able to assist the police investigation is asked to contact local police on 101, quoting reference number 515 of 21/10/2018.

Related topics:MayorStrabaneDerryPolice