Oxfordshire burglar is banned from every church in England

Christopher Coulthard targeted churches in three counties and also stole a purse during a break-in at a Catholic primary school in Surrey.

Oxford Crown Court heard on Friday (September 22) that the 61-year-old crook was arrested in Radley, Oxfordshire, last month after a member of the public recognised him as the man caught on CCTV stealing from the village church’s collection box in June.

Jailing him for three years and four months, Judge Ian Pringle KC told Coulthard: “It’s a repeat of offending which you know you’ve done in the past and you know what the outcome is going to be.

“I can’t really be tied by the guideline, such is the proliferation of offending you repeatedly commit.”

He imposed a criminal behaviour order banning the thief from entering any religious establishment except with the written permission of an office holder such as a minister or churchwarden.

Earlier this summer, a parishioner contacted the Oxford Mail after a man – later identified as Coulthard – was filmed on CCTV sneaking into St James' Church, Radley, on June 24 and picking the lock of a cash collection box.

The brazen burglar could even be seen looking at the camera before he pilfered donations meant for the parish then walked out the Grade II* listed medieval church.

The thief was caught on camera at St James, Radley Picture: SUBMITTED (Image: Contributed)

At the time, the concerned parishioner told this newspaper: “If it weren’t for the camera, we would be none the wiser that the money had been taken.

“People obviously feel as though we have had an intruder that invaded our space. A lot of people feel upset that someone has stolen from our church.”

On August 23, Coulthard was back in Radley when he was spotted by someone who recognised him as the thief in the CCTV footage from June.

He was found to have a burglar’s toolkit of screwdrivers and other metal tools, it was said. Also found on him was around £2,500 in cash.

The court heard that in addition to the Radley theft, Coulthard was responsible for taking cash from St John’s Church, Tadworth, Surrey, between May 27 and June 1, and stole around £600 from All Saints, Oxted, on August 13.

He also burgled St John the Baptist church in Windsor in June 2022, broke into St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Guildford on April 6 this year, and stole cash and a key from St Johns Catholic church in Egham on April 28.

St James, Radley Picture: Google (Image: Google Maps)

Appearing before the crown court on Friday, Coulthard, of Bedworth, Warks., pleaded guilty to the Tadworth church burglary and possession of the criminally acquired cash. He had already admitted other counts of burglary and theft. 

However, he denied going equipped for burglary with tools in Radley on August 23 and also pleaded not guilty to possession of class C drug Tramadol.

Coulthard’s denial of the drugs charge prompted some surprise from Judge Pringle, who told the burglar’s brief: “It’s the one offence I thought he was bound to plead guilty to.”

Mitigating, Gareth James said his client was 'contrite' and had struggled for many years with an addiction to the tranquiliser Tramadol. His stealing helped fund the drug habit, the court heard.

The advocate had asked Judge Pringle to adjourn for his client to be considered for a drug rehabilitation programme.

But the judge refused, telling Mr James: “Such is the nature of the offending that he’s pleaded guilty to – and his record – that there is only one possible solution in this case and that is immediate custody.”