Stipo Peric stole donations from Greek Orthodox churches and Buddhist temple over Easter weekend

A man who forced his way into churches last Easter to pocket hundreds of dollars of donations has thanked the magistrate for his “compassion”.

Peric was seen forcing his way into a number of Greek Orthodox churches as well as a Thai Buddhist temple before stealing hundreds of dollars in donations . Picture: Supplied

A thief who forced his way into multiple churches and stole hundreds of dollars in Easter donations has been ordered to pay back what he stole.

Stipo Peric, 46, was on Thursday sentenced in Sunshine Magistrates’ Court for a string of theft and burglary charges relating to incidents at Melbourne places of worship in April 2022.

Police prosecutors outlined a number of occasions where Peric was captured on CCTV either forcing entry or walking into Greek Orthodox churches and a Thai Buddhist Temple before stealing money from donation plates.

Stipo Peric was ordered to pay compensation after breaking into and stealing from multiple places of worship in 2022. Picture: Supplied

On one occasion, Peric forced his way into a Balwyn North Greek Orthodox church using a jimmy bar before locating two donation boxes and stealing approximately $250.

On another occasion, he entered the Thai Buddhist Church at Mont Albert before stealing approximately $300.

The burglaries took places across a number of suburbs including Templestowe, Mont Albert, Balwyn North, Box Hill and South Melbourne between April 14 and 18.

Easter Sunday was on April 17.

The Caroline Springs man was ordered to pay compensation of $770.

Magistrate Michael McNamara said while he was not encouraging people to break into churches, there was a significant difference between Peric’s offending and those who break into private homes.

After sentencing, Peric thanked the Magistrate for his compassion.

“From the bottom of my heart, I won’t do any more crime and won’t do any more time,” Peric said.