Charge at large

Tyrol: 22-year-old looted church out of boredom

He didn't even shy away from the monstrance and the Easter candle! An unknown thief looted the local parish church in St. Johann in Tirol (district of Kitzbühel) on Tuesday, causing defacements and various damages. A 22-year-old has now handed himself in to the police. He will be charged at large.

On Tuesday morning, the perpetrator gained access to the parish church, broke off precious stones from the monstrance in the altar area and stole them. Furthermore, the monstrance was opened and the so-called lunula (according to Catholic liturgy, the crescent-shaped holder for the host in the monstrance) was stolen together with the host. In addition, the Easter candle was stolen and the body of Christ was torn down from a cross and also stolen.

Wilful destruction
In addition to the thefts, several items of damage to property (damaged angel, damaged side altar) and defacements were also found in the church. In addition to the high religious damage, the amount of material damage is still unknown.

Father discovers stolen goods
One day after the act of vandalism, a 22-year-old man returned the stolen items. His father had found the stolen goods in the apartment. Accompanied by his father, the young Greek man finally handed himself in to the police. He was temporarily arrested and has since been released. "The man has confessed and stated that he acted out of boredom", according to the police.