Pagan whodunnit grips village

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Times
Pagan whodunnit grips village
By Adrian Lee



IT IS a whodunnit worthy of Agatha Christie. The tiny English village, the victim found lying on the floor of its isolated church and everyone in the community under suspicion.

No murder was committed. In this mystery, the figure on the floor was that of an erotic pagan carving that had stood undisturbed in the church for eight centuries. It was attacked with a chisel and left in more than a hundred pieces. .....................

So, as they ponder the puzzle, the would-be Miss Marples in the 200-strong community of Wiston, West Sussex, have taken up the case. One parishioner has deduced, from the chisel marks, that the culprit must have been left-handed.

The rare stonework, of a figure with its genitals exposed, is believed to have served as a warning against lust. It is not clear whether the 8in figure, carved over an archway at All Saints Church, Buncton, was male or female.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,170-1409682,00.html