This article is more than 7 months old

This article is more than 7 months old

A 47-year-old man carefully plotted to steal Magna Carta from Salisbury Cathedral but was foiled by a combination of tight security measures and the brave actions of staff and visitors, a court was told.

Mark Royden allegedly scouted out the position of CCTV cameras and the layout of the cathedral in Wiltshire before trying to smash through reinforced glass with a hammer to get to the historic document.

Wearing gloves and a hood, he is said to have set off a fire alarm to cause confusion but was tackled by bystanders, including Gary Price, the cathedral’s clerk of works, and American tourists Matt and Alexis Delcambre.

Opening for the prosecution, Rob Welling told Salisbury crown court: “On 25 October in 2018 for reasons best known to the defendant he set out to steal the Magna Carta from Salisbury Cathedral.

“His attempt failed for two reasons – the safety glass protecting such an important, historic document was too tough for the tool he brought and he didn’t bank on there being so many good-spirited visitors and staff prepared to intervene.

“He had planned this. He familiarised himself with the layout and identified cameras and the route he would enter and leave without being seen or recorded.

“He knew where a fire alarm would be situated by a nearby toilet block, which he could set off as a distraction. He planned it [for] late in the day just before it closed as he knew it would be quiet and wore a hooded top to hide his face.

“He took safety glasses, a hammer and gloves to protect himself from the security glass and to avoid leaving fingerprints. His last act was to move a camera which he believed would hide his actions.”

Welling said Royden underestimated the strength of the glass in the case protecting the document. He allegedly tried to escape and raised his hammer in “a threatening manner” and told people to “fuck off”. But he was tackled and restrained him until the police arrived.

When he was arrested, Welling said Royden, of Canterbury, Kent, made some “odd comments” about Muslims, Tasers and an object strapped to his back, the jury heard.

In a prepared statement to police, Royden seemed to doubt the authenticity of Magna Carta.

Leigh Chalmers, a cathedral outreach worker, told jurors: “He had a dark hoodie and was hunched down walking quite purposefully. He didn’t look lost, he looked like somebody who knew where he was going.”

Speaking about the moments after the incident, she added: “Someone shouted: ‘He’s trying to steal the Magna Carta, stop him.’”

Chalmers said Royden ran off through a goods yard and was chased and caught by stonemasons working at the cathedral. Chalmers told the court that once he was restrained, Royden said: “Your security is shit.”

Royden is alleged to have caused £14,466-worth of damage to the safety glass. He denies attempting to steal Magna Carta and criminal damage.

The trial continues.



