A MAN who hatched a plot to destroy Canterbury Cathedral has been given a community rehabilitation order with a condition that he receives psychiatric help.

James Retallic was told by a judge: "We want none of this nonsense about burning places down or exploding places."

Canterbury Crown Court heard how the disturbed 28-year-old decided to blow up the Cathedral to prove that all religion was a lie.

Retallic, of The Grove, Barham, found bomb-making plans on the internet before going to the Red Lion pub in Bridge in July, last year.

There, he told a woman he had heard voices in his head ordering him to destroy the Cathedral and showed her the plans to make bombs.

He went by taxi to a psychiatric appointment and left the plans with the driver, telling him: "Can you take these? I don't want them to think I am going to blow up Canterbury Cathedral."

Retallic spoke to his psychiatrist about it and the doctor was so alarmed that he decided to break patient confidentiality and call the police. The taxi driver also took the plans to the police.

Sentence had been adjourned before, causing Judge Timothy Nash to express frustration about the time it was taking to arrange care in the community.

Retallic, who admitted making a threat to destroy property, served six months in prison on remand. The judge said on Monday that it was important to attend promptly to psychiatric needs and not pass the buck.

Making the order for a year, Judge Nash said psychiatric care would ensure that such behaviour did not happen again.

Everything pointed, he said, to arson plans by Retallic being invented.