The scam was discovered when a member of the public became suspicious of activity at Moylough Church and followed the culprits to the church in Barnaderg – and then to Abbeyknockmoy when he contacted the Gardaí.
That resulted in Romanian nationals Andrei Metanie and Ionut Marian Spanachi appeared before Tuam Court, where they were jailed by Judge James Faughnan for what he called their ‘despicable’ offences.
Their activity came to light on Saturday, November 22, when a witness observed from an alert on CCTV that two males were interfering with the candlebra in the church in Moylough. He made his way to the church and, on arrival, observed the males leaving together in a car.
He followed them to the church in Barnaderg and then to Abbeyknockmoy – contacting the Gardaí on the way.
They were caught in Abbeyknockmoy Church, where they were found to have metal strips adapted for use to remove cash from candelabras. Gardaí found cash to the tune of €227 in small change and €135 in notes.