Vicar defends church's devil-horned Flint bench

A devil-horned tribute to Prodigy frontman Keith Flint was "respectful" despite its churchyard setting, a reverend said.

The memorial bench is located at St Mary's Church in Bocking, Essex, which is near to where the singer grew up and the band was founded in Braintree.

But some have questioned whether the Satanic detail was appropriate for a place of Christian worship.

When asked about this, the Right Reverend Rod Reid said both the award-winning band and Flint's family had been "very respectful" in their design.

Flint often gelled his hair into the shape of two devil horns, of which a silhouette is etched into the backrest of the bench.

"The band and the family wanted something fitting for the churchyard," Reid told the BBC.

"They were very respectful and very aware of the setting."

Reid, who presided over Flint's funeral in 2019, insisted people were "amazed" by the bench "and what it means to have it here".

More than 5,000 people attended the funeral after Flint was found dead at his home in North End in March 2019.

Band manager John Fairs and Prodigy founder Liam Howlett helped to design the tribute, later signed off by Flint's family.

"For local people here in Braintree and around, this means an awful lot," Reid said.

"They remember seeing [Flint and Howlett] on the dance floors in Braintree. They have followed them all the way through and they are proud."

The design of the seat was praised by many people commenting on the band's Facebook post about it.

Flint already had a tribute in Braintree, where a mural of him was spray-painted on to a water tank at Braintree Town Football Club's ground.

The Prodigy - who also include Liam Howlett and Keith Palmer (known as Maxim) - are staging a world tour in 2026.

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