THREE men caught on the roof of a South Yorkshire church plagued by lead thieves were let off - because they might have climbed up only to admire the view.
The men, wearing balaclavas, were spotted on the roof of Treeton Parish Church and were caught after local residents alerted police.
But a decision not to prosecute them and let them off with a caution has angered churchgoers still smarting from a
spate of thefts from the centuries-old building.
They claim they were told by police the men could argue they had climbed up to admire the view.
Carole Robinson, whose husband Ron is a church warden, said: "It was beyond belief. We have been plagued with lead thefts and when they finally catch men on the roof they let them off with a caution."
The church roof is still covered in tarpaulins after the last raid, and parishioners have been asked to help raise £10,000 for repairs.
Scaffolding has been put up on the church by contractors and this has been used by people to climb on to the roof.
Mrs Robinson added: "I feel we are totally vulnerable and the law seems to be on the side of the criminal."
Chief Insp Jason Harwin said police had gone to the church after a call from a member of the public saying youths were playing on the top deck of the scaffolding.
"Officers searched all three youths and thoroughly examined the surrounding area but found no evidence that any offences had been committed, nor that the youths possessed any articles with which to commit any offence.
"As a result officers had no power to arrest these youths and they were warned to stay away from the property. Various local operations have been conducted in order to catch offenders stealing lead from the church but to no gain.
"We can assure residents that work is continuing in co-operation with members of the church to tackle the issue."
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