Thief steals Holly and Jessica book condolence book

A book of condolence dedicated to murdered schoolgirls Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells has been stolen from a cathedral, it was disclosed today.

The Very Reverend Gordon Mursell, Dean of Birmingham Cathedral, appealed to the thief who made off with the book - one of five containing hundreds of messages - to hand it back.

The book was reported missing on Saturday afternoon after staff spotted a man acting strangely near the side altar set aside for people to inscribe messages to the parents of the Cambridgeshire schoolgirls.

The Very Rev Mursell said: “This mindless theft is a terrible insult both to the people of Birmingham and to the families to whom it was going to be sent.”