Glasgow church 'devastated' after vandal smashes up gift shop causing £1.5k worth of damage

The criminal was caught on CCTV walking into St Alphonsus RC Church in the east end of Glasgow, which is open to the public every day, on Tuesday afternoon.

Equipped with tools, he first tried to steal a collection box which was screwed to the ground, before discovering it was empty.

He then turned to the small shop in the foyer and smashed through the windows, using his foot to kick through the glass shelves holding various religious artefacts.

Images show the shop’s stock, which includes religious statues, prayer books, rosary beads and candles, scattered all over the floor.

A spokesperson for the church, who lives nearby and opens and closes the church most days, described the incident as “devastating”.

He said: “He desecrated the church. It’s not just vandalism. It’s desecration of a house of God.

“It’s horrendous.”

He said that while it’s not the first time people have attempted to steal from the church, this is the worst that has happened.

“This man came with tools and equipment to try and get some money, and he had no compunction about causing absolute devastation and damage,” he said.

“He had no qualms whatsoever to do that.

“He was very willing to violently kick in the windows and destroy religious artefacts with no thought that this is a house of God.

“It’s pretty extreme.”

After sorting through the mess in the shop he estimates there is around £1,500 worth of damage.

Police said enquiries are underway but no arrests have been made.

A spokesperson said: “Around 8pm on Tuesday, 10 February, 2026, we received a report of damage to a church on London Road, Glasgow, which took place earlier that day.

“Enquiries are going.”