St Andrew’s Church in Hove has reported significant vandalism after CCTV footage showed a man causing extensive damage to the churchyard.
The footage captured the suspect tearing down outdoor lights, smashing bulbs, ripping flowers from a World War Two memorial, and attempting to remove a headstone from a grave. The incident is understood to have occurred at around 19:10 GMT on 27 November.
Reverend Henderson said members of the church’s youth group first raised the alarm after discovering a string of lights had been torn down. Only after reviewing the CCTV did he realise the full scale of the destruction.
“Sad to find that the church outside string lights had been torn down last night and each bulb taken out and smashed on the road,” Rev Henderson wrote on the church’s social media. “The WW2 memorial Lych Gate was vandalised, flowers ripped out, signs torn off the walls and a signpost kicked over. More concerning, the person had desecrated one of the historic graves by trying to pull it over.”
He added: “It often feels that the battle to maintain the churchyard for community use is being lost due to the huge volume of anti-social behaviour in the area. But whether or not we have Christmas lights, the church will be open and everyone is welcome to come and celebrate JOY at St Andrew’s this Christmas.”
Sussex Police described the suspect as a white man in his 60s, approximately 6ft (1.80m) tall, with grey hair, wearing a black and red jacket and black trousers. They are appealing for anyone with information about the incident to come forward.
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