War memorial statue depicting Jesus vandalised

A war memorial statue depicting Jesus Christ has been vandalised at a Catholic church, with police investigating the incident as a hate crime.

Cheshire Police said the statue was damaged and daubed with graffiti on Friday at St Alban's Church in Bewsey, Warrington.

In a video released on the church's Facebook page, Canon Christopher Cunningham said the head of the figure had been "knocked off" in an incident of "true persecution". He said "offensive language against the Catholic Church" had been left on the statue's plaque.

The offensive language has since been removed by a church volunteer.

St Alban's Church declined to comment when contacted by the BBC.

The damage was discovered at 09:23 GMT on Sunday by a member of the congregation, police said.

Police believe the damage may have been done between 18:00 and 22:00 and was thought to have been one of "several incidents in the area".

Ch Insp Joseph McNally said: "The vandalism of a war memorial is particularly upsetting as these sites exist to honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.

"This type of behaviour is completely unacceptable and has a significant impact on those who use and support the church, as well as the wider community.

"Places of worship should be safe and welcoming environments and we are committed to identifying those responsible for this incident."

The force said it was looking for anyone who may have CCTV, doorbell, dashcam or mobile phone footage from the area.

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