Thieves hacked out two 15th century panels from a screen in a church in Devon, England.  The antiques were said to be among the best of their kind and of national importance.

The Holy Trinity Church in Torbryan is no longer in use and maintained by volunteers.  The thieves got in their sometime before 2 August and 9 August, and inartfully removed decorative oak panels painted with the images of saints and church dignitaries.  The panels removed depicted St Victor of Marseilles and St Margaret.  A third panel was smashed.  They were part of one of the few Rood screens to survive the "puritanical zeal" of the Reformation and are one of the best examples of their kind left in Britain, experts say.

Chief Executive of the Churches Conservation Trust charity Crispin Truman said, “This crime will deprive all visitors and researchers of an important part of Devon heritage and is essentially a theft of public property.  We hope that by publicizing the loss we might recover the panels and ask anyone who might have information to contact us.”

There are concerns the panels could be spirited out of the country and sold abroad, but Truman says, “The value of these panels is in the building, they belong there. They are essentially priceless.”