A THIEF stole a purse from a pensioner as she prayed in a Derby church.
Drug addict James McNally was captured on CCTV rummaging through the worshipper's belongings as she took part in a service.
The theft of the purse – which contained a £10 note and £5 in coins and some bank cards – was discovered when the woman went to collect her handbag.
Heroin user McNally was yesterday jailed for eight months, but is expected to be released on licence almost immediately, having been in custody on remand for more than four months.
A court heard the theft happened at St Mary's Catholic Church in Darley Lane. Former city mayor and Arboretum councillor Fareed Hussain said he was shocked by the crime "in a place where people should be going to cleanse their souls, not pollute them".
Priest Father Peter Ingman said the crime happened at a service on Good Friday.
He said: "It must have been very upsetting for the lady, who had made the effort to come to church on Good Friday and then discovered her purse had been stolen."
Sentencing the 49-year-old, Judge Peter Barrie said: "This was a nasty offence. The thought of someone stealing a purse from a church on Good Friday is quite repellent."
Mr Hussain said he felt the theft was "as low as it gets".
McNally, of no fixed address, admitted the theft when he appeared at Shrewsbury Crown Court.
The court heard that the incident happened on April 18 when the woman, who is in her late-60s, attended St Mary's for an evening service.
Steven Taylor, prosecuting, said that some of the congregation initially gathered in the Lady Chapel at the church.
"When the group moved into the main body of the church the woman left her handbag in the chapel, believing it to be safe," he said.
Mr Taylor said that CCTV footage from the Lady Chapel showed a man walking in the aisle and stopping where the bag had been left.
He said: "The man looked around before rummaging in the bag in front of him and standing up and walking out."
As McNally left the church he crossed himself before leaving by a side door, said Mr Taylor.
The court heard the victim had seen him and as a result of McNally's appearance and that he did not take part in the service, she believed that he was "up to no good".
Mr Taylor said that McNally had a long history of dishonesty and was a prolific shoplifter. He said the theft of the purse was "opportunist" and the likely motivation was the defendant's heroin use.
Police officers who knew McNally recognised him from the CCTV footage and he was arrested two days later and remanded in custody.
McNally, who represented himself in court, gave no explanation for his actions.
Father Ingman said people had now been advised not to leave their belongings unattended if they were moving around in the church.
