Men jailed after charity cash stolen from UK mosque

Two men have been jailed after close to £2,000 in cash was stolen from charity boxes at a mosque in Warrington, United Kingdom.

David Roberts, 42, forced entry into Warrington Mosque on 15 June, taking two charity cash boxes containing a total of £1,900, Cheshire Police said.

He returned the next day with David Atkinson, 37, and they were seen on CCTV using a ladder to try and get into the mosque through an upstairs window.

Roberts was given an eight-month sentence for burglary and attempted burglary, while Atkinson was jailed for 19 weeks for attempted burglary, failing to provide a sample for a drug test and a public order offence.

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PC Zackery Carlin of Cheshire Police said he hoped the sentences deterred other “opportunist thieves”.

Both men pleaded guilty to the offences at Warrington Magistrates Court on 17 June.

Roberts and Atkinson had abandoned the burglary after they were “spooked by a passing cyclist”, a spokesman for Cheshire Police said.

Atkinson returned again but was spotted by members of the mosque who contacted the police.

PC Carlin said stealing charity boxes from a place of worship was “an abominable thing to do.

“Then to try again, just defies belief”, he added. (BBC)