Two 13-year-old boys arrested in connection with the desecration of St Anne's church on North Street have been released without charge at the request of the parish priest.

Following investigations, and acting on information received, officers arrested two young boys. They have been given a warning but have been released without charges after a request from St Anne's Father Sean Gilligan (pictured left).

In the attack, which came only weeks after Father Gilligan started working at the church, the two boys defecated on the altar and used pages ripped from the Bible as toilet paper.

Father Gilligan this week talked to the Keighley News about his decision not to press charges.

He says: "The police told me about two weeks ago that they had found the two boys. They haven't been charged, really on compassionate grounds.

"As the saying goes it's always worse when you don't know who did it than when you find out."

The priest, whose church was attacked soon after he decided to leave it unlocked at all times, says he has not spoken to the boys or their families, but hopes to do so at some time in the future.

He says: "Now that they have been given a warning and the parents are aware of the situation, hopefully they will learn."

After the incident in October Fr Gilligan decided to lock the church at all times other than mass.

He said at the time: "People want some place to get away from the rat race, and they want some peace and quiet. That's been taken away now - that's the sad situation."

The boys cannot be identified for legal reasons.

Sergeant Allan Gee of Keighley police says: "I can confirm that two 13-year-old boys were arrested in connection with the desecration of St Anne's church."

He says that both have been released without charge at the request of the church priest

He adds that it probably would not have progressed to a prosecution due to their ages.