A Hampshire man has been sentenced to a hospital order after killing and dumping the bodies of deer and lambs at four churches in the area.
The 48-year-old, who was not named, was found to have caused significant distress to congregations and added that 'it's meant to be a place of sanctuary, but unfortunately these incidents caused them to be fearful of going to their sanctuaries.'
Prosecutors said that the man had targeted churches, leaving deer heads and slaughtered lambs with inverted crosses at various locations, including the New Forest.
One incident saw a lamb left on a tree stump with an inverted cross near Christchurch in Colbury, while another saw a deer's head left on a church gate with a Tarot card at around Easter time.
The deer, 'crawling with maggots', was swiftly moved to reduce distress from passersby, and in another incident, a deer's head was found in the pulpit of a church with an inverted cross, which had to be disposed of due to stains.
A consultant forensic psychiatrist testified that the man had autism, mixed personality disorder, OCD, a possible mild learning disorder, and 'fantastical thinking patterns.'
The psychiatrist also highlighted the man's history of self-harm and suicidality and said that there is a 'risk of escalation from harming animals to harming humans as well.'
The court heard that the man had tried to assault the psychiatrist during an assessment and had to be restrained and secluded.
The judge said that the man's offences 'taken together would justify a substantial period of imprisonment' and that his previous convictions, although from a long time ago, demonstrate 'worrying similar behaviour.'
The man will be subject to a hospital order to receive treatment until a further ruling by either a mental health tribunal or the Secretary of State.
