Suspect charged after cash taken from donation box in Lockerbie memorial room
The remembrance room at Tundergarth Church honours the 270 lives lost in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 on 21 December 1988.
Monday 4 September 2023 16:42, UK
A suspect has been charged after money was stolen from a memorial room that honours the victims of the Lockerbie bombing.
A man was allegedly caught on a newly installed security camera taking cash from the donations box within the small stone building at Tundergarth Church on Friday 25 August.
The same man then reportedly returned to the site on Wednesday 30 August.
Police launched an investigation and have arrested and charged a 59-year-old man.
The force said the suspect has been charged with theft and intent to commit theft.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said on Monday: "He was released on an undertaking and will appear before Dumfries Sheriff Court at a later date. A report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal."
The remembrance room honours the 270 lives lost in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over the Dumfries and Galloway town on 21 December 1988.
A total of 259 passengers and crew and 11 local residents died when a bomb exploded on the Boeing 747 during its flight from London to New York.
The bombing remains the UK's worst terrorist attack.
Tundergarth Kirks Trust helps to preserve the room, which features photographs of the victims and recorded remembrances.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
Read more:
Appeal against conviction of Abdelbasset al Megrahi rejected
Lockerbie victims remembered 30 years on
Treasurer Drene Lee told Sky News: "We are very disappointed that this has happened.
"We are taking steps to making the collections safe by putting in a box on the wall with a lock.
"We don't know if this has happened before as we had no security camera - it has only been in two weeks."