Statue of Jesus vandalized outside UK church, man in custody

[Stone]

Statue of Jesus vandalized outside UK church, man in custody
The parish priest called the attack on the Catholic statue and war memorial an act of ‘true persecution.’

Nov 3, 2026
BEWSEY, Warrington (LifeSiteNews) – An unidentified man is in custody in connection with a Halloween attack on a war memorial at a Catholic church that decapitated a statue of Jesus Christ.

The BBC reports that the war memorial at St. Alban’s Church, which depicts Christ on the cross above a monument bearing the names of church members who died in World Wars I and II, was beheaded and defaced on Friday with what parish priest Canon Christopher Cunningham described as “offensive language against the Catholic Church.”

The graffiti has since been scrubbed off, but photos and footage reveal a scrawled message that some social media users have interpreted as Arabic, while other reports have quoted the message as “no cross s–t.” Other unspecified incidents had been reported in the area around the same time, as well.

Cunningham called the deed an act of “true persecution” but called on the faithful to “stick together.”

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Police released a blurry CCTV image of a nondescript figure believed to have been in the area at the time, and on Tuesday the Warrington Guardian reported that a 42-year-old male has been detained under the Mental Health Act. Neither his identity nor his motives have yet been confirmed.

“We understand the concern this incident has caused within the community, and I hope that now we have identified the suspect through an extensive and fast-moving investigation, parishioners and residents will be somewhat reassured,” said Warrington LPU Chief Inspector Joseph McNally.

In the meantime, a fundraiser has begun on the platform Just Giving that aims to raise £5,000 to restore the memorial.

“To see a place of such historical and emotional significance damaged is deeply upsetting, not just for those connected to the church, but for the entire community. We cannot undo what has happened, but together we can put things right,” wrote organizer Stephen Burke.

“Let’s show that acts of vandalism will never outweigh the kindness, generosity and community spirit of local people,” he added. “They gave their tomorrow for our today. The least we can do is protect their memory.”