A burglar who ripped copper piping from a Black Country church before trying to steal silver communion chalices and a memorial plaque was today behind bars.

David Whyte caused £2,600 of damage to Sedgley’s Hope Strict Baptist Chapel, which was flooded during the raid. He smashed a window with a brick and damaged the church’s organ and congregation area before he was disturbed by a passer by, Dudley Magistrates Court heard.

Whyte, aged 19, of Downfield Drive, Sedgley, was disturbed during the raid at about 10.20pm on June 19 by a man passing by.

Whyte told him he had just been to the toilet, said Mr Mark Cooper, prosecuting, but the man later spotted him returning to the churchyard in Arcal Street and called police. Whyte was arrested nearby.

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