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Heartless thieves rob Newtown
Church silver
13.05.08
by Liam Porter, Inishowen Independent
A DEVASTATED church community has made an
impassioned plea to heartless thieves to return a
collection of silverware stolen in a break-in at
Newtowncunningham’s Church of Ireland last week.
The raiders are understood to have stolen six pieces
of communion silver, three silver collection plates,
three brass flower vases and a sum of money from the
church in a break-in sometime last week. |
The robbery was not
discovered until Friday evening last and sent
shockwaves through members of the congregation.
Speaking to the Inishowen Independent yesterday Jim
Devenney a member of the Select Vestry at the church
said the entire community had been shocked and
saddened by the theft of the silverware from the
Church.
“The pieces are of a huge sentimental value to the
members of the congregation and some of them date
back as far as 1725. They are priceless as far as we
are concerned, but they are of no value to the
people who stole |
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them.”
Indeed he added that the Church was so keen to have
the items returned, they have offered a substantial
reward for their return.
“We really want the pieces back and we would appeal
even to those who took them to bring them back or
make contact even through a third party and let us
know where we can get them and they can have the
reward. They can keep the money, we really want
these pieces back because they are of such
sentimental value to us.”
Mr. Devenney explained that many of the pieces taken
last week would have been donated over the years by
families in the congregation in memory of a loved
one and he said their theft had caused a lot of
upset.
“I don’t know if the people who took these items
realise the significance they have to this community
and I’d just hope that their conscience will get to
them and they realise they should not have stooped
so low.”
However he once again reiterated that if the thieves
had a change of heart they could return the items
adding that if anyone else had information that led
to their return a substantial reward was being
offered by the Church.
Gardai meanwhile are understood to be continuing
with their investigations into the break-in and have
also appealed for anyone who may have seen anything
suspicious to contact them. |
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