A thief targeted churches across the Highlands and Moray during an extended crime spree, a court has been told.
Stuart Lilley’s offending was so concerning, that at one point he was banned from entering the grounds of any religious building in Scotland.
Lilley was also caught wandering around schools and trying to gain access to business premises.
Lilley, 48, appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court via videolink from custody to plead guilty to 13 charges relating to break-ins and thefts at locations from Nairn to Dornoch between June 2021 and January 2023, as well as a breach of the special bail condition.
Fiscal depute Robert Weir told the court that Lilley broke into St Ninian’s Catholic church on Culduthel Road in Inverness on Hogmanay.
On January 1 2022 staff found doors had been forced and several hundred pounds of cash taken.
On the same date, he targeted the city’s Crown Church on Kingsmills Road, gaining entry and taking £100 in cash.
On January 5 2022 Lilley was spotted walking into a kitchen at The Barn Church in Culloden and a locked cupboard was later found to have been broken open.
Between January 31 and February 6 2022, Lilley also targeted Dornoch Cathedral.
Mr Weir told the court: “On the evening of 31 January 2022 Dornoch Cathedral was closed at around 1pm.
“On 2 February 2022 CCTV at a nearby garage captured the accused vehicle driving past and on the same day a male matching the description of the accused and wearing a lanyard with a flower print on it attended at the door of the manse enquiring after a minister.
“He was invited in and left after around 20 mins. On 6 February 2023 staff attended at the locus the north door was found to have been forced open and entry gained.
“The safe within was found to have had the lock slide moved and the collection box at the main door appeared to have been tampered with, however nothing was missing.”
Thief was banned from all churches in Scotland
Lilley broke into Saint Columba’s Church in Queen Street, Nairn on March 21 2022, after the bail condition requiring him not to enter the grounds of any religious building had been imposed.
As well as churches Lilley targeted schools. He was found within the premises of Crown Primary School and Dornoch Academy, wearing a Covid exemption lanyard.
When challenged by staff he claimed to be looking for a teacher and left.
Other victims of Lilley’s spree were Watermill Enterprises at Cantray Bridge, Bowhunter Archery in Balnagown Woods and the Mansefield Castle Hotel in Tain.
Lilley’s DNA was found at a number of the crime scenes and on tools believed to have been used to gain entry.
He was caught on CCTV at some of the scenes, and identified by witnesses at others.
Solicitor Marc Dickson, for Lilley, conceded that there was “a common theme of forcing entry to religious establishments”.
He told the court there was a “history” that “may give some explanation as to why, on occasion, he behaves as he does”.
Church thief’s ‘addiction issues’
He said his client, who was “clearly someone who has addiction issues”, now had a provisional diagnosis of a “post-traumatic stress type condition”.
“Clearly if this type of offending can be prevented it isn’t just Stuart Lilley and his family who will benefit, it is society as a whole,” he told Sheriff Gary Aitken.
Sheriff Aitken deferred sentencing on Lilley, of Dalcroy Green, Croy, to July 24 for the production of a criminal justice social work report. He will remain in custody in the meantime.
