A CRUCIFIX has been targeted by vandals – for a second time.

The cross in the garden of St John The Baptist church in Bristol Road, Brighton, was attacked by vandals who smashed up the mounted figure of Christ, known as the corpus.

The remains of the corpus were found in the grounds of a church nearby.

Tony Wallace, 68, a parishioner of the church, said it was an “awful and quite pointless act”.

He said: “These people should go away and leave us and our faith alone.

“Whether you are a believer or not you would think people have some respect for others’ feelings.”

Asked how the congregation felt about it, he said: “It is outrage and disappointment and thinking, who are these poor buggers who do this sort of thing?”

This is not the first time the crucifix has been targeted.

A few years ago, when the corpus was made of wood, it was smashed and left in ruins.

In April this year, vandals struck again and destroyed it.

It was repaired after the summer but was then set upon for a third time earlier this month.

Mr Wallace said: “This is no longer thick-headed vandalism; it is iconoclasm.

“For us it’s a symbol of something sacred.”

Richard Syzpulski, 60, of Brighton, also attends the church.

He said: “Vandalism is vandalism – it’s wrong. There’s no need to destroy something for no reason.”

Mr Wallace said the vandalism is not limited to the garden and claimed people have urinated in the stoup, a bowl containing Holy Water, and defecated in the Confessional, where people confide with the priest.

The congregation dip a finger in the Holy Water and make the sign of the cross over them when entering and leaving the church.

Asked how he knew it was urine, he said: “You can tell.”

Paul Lewis, 50, restored the cross free-of-charge when it was last vandalised, as reported in The Argus on September 15.

He said he is going to do the same again and raise it up so vandals can’t get to it.

He said: “I put a lot of effort into that and then they go and smash it up again.

“I was really upset about it and the locals are really miffed.”