War memorial theft man jailed

Mark Mellor from Halesowen pocketed £190 for the six placques that bore the names of men and one woman from the Brierley Hill area who had fallen in the two World Wars.

Michael Annining, defending, stressed to Wolverhampton Crown Court that Mellor had not taken part in the desecration of the Memorial in Stevens Park.

He said the 30-year-old was aware of the impact the theft had on families within the community and he was full of remorse for the distress they had suffered.

Mellor, of Furlong Court, Colley Gate, admitted stealing the plaques and he was told by Judge John Warner if he had been involved in the desecration the sentence would have been much longer.

The Judge told Mellor that what he had been involved in was extremely distressing for the relatives of those who gave their lives in the two world wars - whose names were recorded on the plaques.

Walter Bealby, prosecuting, said the plaques were the property of Dudley Council and they commemorated people who had served in the two world wars.

They were removed from the memorial in January by thieves who caused several thousand pounds worth of damage and they were taken to a scrapyard in Attwood Street, Lye, where they were sold for £190.

But the registration number of the men who sold the plaques was taken by bosses at the yard and police were able to track down Mellor.

Mr Anning told the court it was not the value of the plaques that was important in the case.

He added: "It is the dishonouring to the memory of those who lost their lives in the world wars and the memories of those they left behind."

Mellor, he maintained, was not one of the group who stripped the placques off the memorial and he accepted he had been extremely foolish when he realised the true nature of his actions.

The Judge ruled the offence was more of handling stolen property and added: "What you got involved in was quite frankly, grossly offensive to decent people."