The father of a vandal branded 'absolute scum' by a magistrate has backed the JP, saying he should get his job back.
JP Austin Molloy made the comments when sentencing two 16-year-old boys for writing racist and sexually-abusive graffiti in prayer books, and bending a priceless John The Baptist cross out of shape at Blackburn Cathedral, causing £3,000 damage.
The furious father said: 'I totally agree with what Mr Molloy said and I've not got a problem with him whatsoever. I back Mr Molloy 100 per cent.
'As far as I am concerned, Mr Molloy should get his job back. The whole family is absolutely disgusted with what my son has done and he knows we are disgusted.'
Grandfather-of-one Mr Molloy - who has been a magistrate for 18 years - was banned from acting as chairman of the bench while an investigation is completed.
The culprit's father added: 'Some of the comments people are making about us as parents are out of order.
'I've worked my whole life and my son was brought up as a Catholic boy going to church, so why he has done what he has done, I don't know.
'I am going to have to pay his fine, so all these people saying we are on a free ride are wrong. I'm not on a free ride and I've been fined for something I didn't do.
'But he is not going to get away with it and he will be punished.'
His son, known as Boy A, was given an 18-month supervision order and ordered to pay £1,500 compensation costs after pleading guilty to damaging the cross.
Boy B was given a 12-month supervision order and ordered to pay £100 for vandalising prayer books at the cathedral in Lancashire.
The mother of Boy B has since made an official complaint, but Boy A's father said: 'There will certainly be no official complaint from me.
'He has been a stupid boy. My family are church-going people who just can't understand why he did it.
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