Homeless man charged with Crooked Spire '˜assault'

Andrew Brown, 41, of no fixed address, appeared at court in Chesterfield this morning, and was bailed.

He has been charged with one count of criminal damage and three counts of assault, two against police officers.

Police were called shortly after 9am on Saturday (April 1) to reports of a ‘disturbance’ at the iconic local landmark.

A man had allegedly entered the church, smashed a window and assaulted a member of church staff, thought to be the pastor.

On arrival, police officers struggled with the man, with two suffering assaults in the process.

Multiple officers and vehicles were then dispatched to the scene as backup, alerted by their colleagues and other church staff.

Revd Patrick Coleman, Vicar at Saint Mary & All Saints, confirmed that an incident had taken place which was now the subject of criminal proceedings.

He added that he and his colleagues had decided that they did not wish to make any further comment.

The Derbyshire Times has run a number of stories in recent weeks about problems of anti-social behaviour caused by rough sleepers in the town.