Moment shameless thief strolls into a deserted church and makes off with a £6000 brass eagle

This is the moment a brazen thief walks into an abandoned church and makes off with a Victorian brass eagle worth £6,000.

CCTV footage shows the man walking down the aisle of St Augustine Church in Edgbaston. BirminghamMonday around 11am.

The thug removes the heavy lectern from the column, puts a blanket over it and brutally carries it out of the church.

The church shared the images on social media and said the lectern has been a feature of St. Augustine’s Church since its consecration in 1868.

West Midlands Police are now investigating the theft, which took just two minutes in broad daylight.

You see how the man removes the lectern from the column before placing a blanket over it

Footage shows the man carrying the copper eagle, which is hidden under a blanket, out of the church

The copper eagle, estimated to be worth £6,000, has been there since the church’s dedication in 1868

The thief struck while the church, which is open to the public daily from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., was temporarily empty.

Reverend Matthew Tomlinson said: “I must have missed him by about five minutes because I had to get out.

‘It is very unusual for this to happen on a Monday as the church is usually very busy.

‘He clearly knew exactly what he was looking for because he walked straight towards it and even had a blanket with him.

“He knew it wasn’t stuck and simply picked it up and walked out.”

The theft took place in broad daylight on Monday, June 10

The crime has been reported to West Midlands Police, who are investigating

CCTV captures thief stealing Victorian brass eagle lectern from St Augustine’s Church in Edgbaston

Reverend Tomlinson said the lectern was worth around £6,000 but hoped it would be recovered.

He added: ‘A similar lectern was stolen from a church in the Birmingham area last year but was recovered.

“It appears the thief couldn’t resell it because the dealers knew it was stolen. We certainly hope we get it back.

‘We all feel that our hospitality is being infringed upon and that our hospitality is being abused.

“There has been a spate of thefts from churches in the area. The burglaries took place at night, so it is rare for burglaries to occur during the day.

‘The church remains open.’

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: ‘The theft has been reported to us and our investigation is ongoing.’