Statue stolen from church near Tadcaster

A statue worth thousands of pounds has been stolen from St Andrews Church at Newton Kyme near Tadcaster.

The theft of the statue, which was reported to North Yorkshire Police on Monday 11 January, it is believed to have occurred sometime after Tuesday 5 January. 

The statue, which is of the head and face of John Fairfax, is made of blackened stone which has incised facial features and hairline and is 35cm in height sitting on a base 14cm square.  The base of the statue has the year “1613” engraved on it.

North Yorkshire police believe it may have been stolen to order.