A MAN who admitted trying to sell a stolen World War I memorial for scrap metal has been told he could face a jail term.

Michael Coyle, 40, from Mellock Lane, Little Neston, in south Wirral, admitted handling stolen goods at Chester Magistrates Court.

The metal plaque on the memorial at Christ Church, in the village of Willaston, listed the names of fallen war heroes.

Prosecutor Catherine Whincup told the court the 5ft x 3ft plaque was last seen in place on the monument in the church grounds either on July 27 or 29, and its disappearance was reported on July 30.

The plaque was said to have cost £1,130 when it was put in place in 1921.

Mrs Whincup said: “It appears considerable force was used to prise the plaque off the monument.”

She said the defendant had taken a large piece of metal to a local scrap merchant on July 30, where the copper was weighed and valued at £183.30, but the attendant noticed wording on a folded over piece of the metal which said: “In memory of those who lost their lives” and refused to accept it.

Mrs Whincup told the court Coyle, who then took the metal away, had been identified by CCTV.