A statuette from a Nativity scene was stolen and damaged during an overnight incident outside the church of San Francesco in Lerici on New Year’s Eve.
The incident occurred during the night in Via Giacomo Matteotti, where unknown individuals removed the statuette of the infant Jesus from the Nativity scene positioned in front of the church. After damaging it, they abandoned the statuette near the Public Assistance car park in Via della Repubblica, where it was later recovered.
The Carabinieri of Lerici continued their enquiries into the episode, while the parish priest, Don Federico Paganini, filed a formal complaint the following day.
The damaged statuette was placed inside the church pending a decision on whether it could be repaired or would need to be replaced ahead of Epiphany.