A man has been arrested for sacrilege following an incident at a church in Murray Bridge this morning.
Around 3.30am today (Tuesday 25 March), police were called to the Darling Avenue property after a security alarm activation and CCTV showed a man entering the church.
Patrols attended and cordoned the address and allegedly located the man inside. Police conducted a search of the man and he was allegedly found in possession of scripture books belonging to the church.
The man, a 25-year-old from Mount Gambier, was arrested and charged with sacrilege. He was refused police bail and will appear in the Murray Bridge Magistrates Court later today.
According to a SAPOL spokesperson, while sacrilege is an unusual offence that many people may not realise still exists, it does happen occasionally.
“The crime of breaking and entering a place of divine worship and committing an offence can carry a hefty penalty, such as imprisonment for three years or more,” a SAPOL spokesperson said.
Anyone who witnessed this incident is asked to contact police. You can anonymously provide information to Crime Stoppers online at crimestopperssa.com.au or free call 1800 333 000.
