A CHURCH raider who left a cash-strapped congregation thousands of pounds out of pocket walked free from court - thanks partly to a forgiving vicar.

Reverend Paul Neville wrote a letter in support of Matthew Swinbank, who struck at St George's Church, near Middleton St George, on three occasions.

The 20-year-old was responsible for stripping lead from stained glass windows at the ancient Saxon building, parts of which date back almost 1,000 years.

Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday that the church was under renovation at the time of the repeated raids after a bequest was left to it by a villager.

The ambitious restoration has been plagued by a spate of other acts of vandalism, which has left a repair bill running into tens of thousands of pounds.

Swinbank admitted breaking into the church in September through a perspex window which had been installed to replace a damaged stained glass one.

He asked for six other crimes to be taken into consideration, including burglaries at the church when lead was stolen and at isolated farm buildings.

He also admitted his part in an affray in August last year when youths clashed with guests and the host of a barbecue in Eaglescliffe, near Stockton.

Swinbank, of West Middleton Farm, which is next door to the church in Low Middleton, was given a six-month suspended prison sentence.

Judge Howard Crowson said he had planned to lock him up, but was prepared to take a chance on him being able to put his troubled times behind him.

Dan Cordey, mitigating, said Swinbank had apologised to Mr Neville after the thefts over the summer and had since carried out some work in the church grounds.

He provided a bundle of references, including one from the vicar, which "show there is a perfectly decent and hardworking side to this young man".

Swinbank had his jail term suspended for 18 months, was ordered to do 280 hours of unpaid work for the community and was put on a six-week curfew.

Judge Crowson told him: "I hope Mr Cordey is right, and this is a part of your life which you can put behind you.

"A simple apology, while it is very comforting to the rector, does not come anywhere near replacing the economic loss they, as a community, have suffered."

A second man, Kalvin Lennox, 20, failed to turn up at court to be sentenced for his part in the burglary, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.