Father Tim Jones, the parish priest of St Lawrence and St Hilda, had finished his sermon on Sunday and left the church in Lawrence Street by the rear when Martin Stot threw a bucket of spaghetti and ravioli at him – a reference to Father Jones saying it was better for the hungry and desperate to steal tinned ravioli from a supermarket than to commit violent crime.
Mr Stot, 48, of Lawrence Street, said he filled the bucket with 30 cans of spaghetti and ravioli to throw over Father Jones as he felt the priest’s comments could encourage young people to steal. He said: “One theft could be on their record for ten years. It would be difficult for them to get a job. I was just offended by what he said. I just got this thing in my head where I thought I would make my own little protest.”
Mr Stot, who did not want to show his full face, said he bought the tinned food from Asda and hid the bucket in a phone box while he waited for Father Jones to emerge from the church.
When Father Jones came out, Mr Stot threw half of the bucket’s contents down Father Jones’s robes. He said the vicar then stopped to allow him to throw the rest of the spaghetti, although he did not. Mr Stot said he had considered whether his actions would be construed as assault, but decided that his protest was worth making.
Father Jones said it was initially very frightening until he realised Mr Stot meant him no physical harm. He would not be complaining to police. He said: “It was a frightening and humbling experience, as was the intention. In conversation with the man afterwards, it emerged that his has been a very hard life indeed.”
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