Four years for abbey arson youth

The fire destroyed the roof of the Grade I listed building

A teenager who set fire to a 900-year-old abbey in Cumbria has been sentenced to four years in detention.

Shane Walker, 17, from Silloth, had earlier admitted theft and arson at Holme Cultram, St Mary's, in Abbeytown.

Carlisle Crown Court was told that he stole £5 from the collection box, used it to buy drink, then returned and set fire to garments in the vestry.

The resulting blaze gutted the Grade I listed building, and repairs are expected to cost over £2m.

Weddings, christenings and funerals had to be cancelled and the congregation found it difficult to locate an alternative site of worship, as the local Methodist church was too small.

'Criminally reckless

Judge John Phillips, sentencing, said Walker had committed a "despicable crime" which had devastated the community.

"Not only have you destroyed a national treasure, you have also severely damaged an entire community."

He added that Walker intended to start the fire, and while he did not intend to destroy the abbey, he was reckless as to the consequences of it.

"If you did not foresee the entire destruction of the abbey as a consequence, it is only because you were drunk, having purchased drink with the money stolen from the abbey.

"You are the kind of person who behaves in a criminally reckless way when drunk, as you often are."