Police have charged a 42-year-old man with arson following a fire that caused significant damage to St Mary’s Church in Avondale last week.
The blaze broke out around 4:20am on 14 July at the historic church on Great North Road. While no one was injured, the building sustained extensive damage.
Detective Senior Sergeant Rebecca Kirk of the Auckland City Crime Squad said officers had been working diligently to identify and locate the person responsible.
The man was arrested at a New Lynn property last night and is due to appear in the Auckland District Court today.
“This is a great result,” said Detective Senior Sergeant Kirk. “I would like to acknowledge the valuable assistance Police received from members of the public during the course of this investigation.”
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Shocking incident, but encouraging to see the community and police working together for accountability.