Kyle David Henderson, 39, was jailed for a total of 15 months when he appeared in the Magistrate’s Court from custody yesterday.
Prosecuting Advocate Sarah Watson told the court how the defendant had been seen on CCTV in the area of the Town Church at about 11.20pm on 10 January this year. He was wearing a dark coloured coat with a hoodie at the time. Footage recovered later from within the church showed him pulling the 1.2m-tall offering tube down and kicking it multiple times, which caused it to smash and damage the floor.
The damage was discovered the following morning.
It was established that the perpetrator had forced entry through a window before going into an office which appeared to have been searched. A fire extinguisher was used to smash a door in the vestry.
An unknown quantity of cash was stolen from the tube, though coins were left behind. Henderson was seen carrying a bag when his journey home was captured on CCTV. At some point he took off the coat seen in the church but officers found it when they searched the route he took.
His DNA was found on both the coat and the fire extinguisher.
When he handed himself in at the Police Station four days later a knuckleduster was found in his ruck sack when he was searched. He made no comment in interview.
The court heard that he had serious convictions both in Guernsey and the UK.
He had 28 convictions for either theft, robbery or burglary, two for possessing offensive weapons, 15 for drug offences and one for criminal damage. He admitted three other offences that stemmed from different occasions when he appeared in the Magistrate’s Court.
On 20 November last year he entered a community hallway of the flats in the yard of the Police Station.
He stole a bicycle and CCTV showed him riding it away down Hospital Lane.
The bike was never recovered. He was arrested on suspicion of theft and while in custody carved his name in the bench in a cell with an unknown tool.
On 20 January when police went to his home to investigate a potential bail breach, 0.76grams of herbal cannabis was found during a search.
Defending, Advocate Samuel Steel said his client accepted he could hardly have done anything more shameful than stealing from the Town Church. He had acted in desperation as he need the money to fund his drug habit and he had been under the influence of substances at the time. The theft of the bicycle had been opportunist and not planned and carving his name in the bench had just been childish.
Judge Marc Davies said that if the defendant accepted the burglary at the church had been the lowest of his low points then that might be the one positive thing to come from it. It had been a mean spirited and utterly selfish offence.
‘We will never know how much good that might have been done with the money that you stole,and only you will know that,’ he said. ‘I note that you couldn’t be bothered to take the coins and that you had a good look around to see what else you might have been able to take.’
Henderson was jailed for 13 months for the burglary and one month for stealing the bike. Two weeks was imposed on each for the criminal damage and possessing the knuckleduster with no separate penalty for the drug possession.
Forfeiture and destruction of the drug and knuckleduster was ordered. All were consecutive. Judge Davies said that given the circumstances he would make no awards for compensation.
