Ruth Gledhill reports that Rev. Tim Jones church – the CofE vicar who rashly recommended theft to his parishioners – now wants to be known as Pasta Tim Jones:

The Rev Tim Jones of York has been drenched a bucketful of spaghetti and ravioli thrown over him by a parishioner angered by his suggestion to newly-released criminals that they finance Christmas by shoplifting. Thirty tins to be precise. Meanwhile, Father Jones’ letter excoriating me (and Julian Baggini) for my view that theft is somehow, er, unbiblical, was published in The Times. The Press in York reports that the protest was carried out by Martin Stot, 48, who said he filled a bucket with 30 cans of spaghetti and ravioli. ‘I was just offended by what he said. I just got this thing in my head where I thought I would make my own little protest,’ said Stot. He bought the tinned food from Asda and hid the bucket in a phone box while he waited for Father Jones to emerge from the church.

It’s a shame that Stot bought the food; if he had been listening more carefully to the sermon he would have pinched it.