diff --git a/src/com/fsck/k9/controller/MessagingController.java b/src/com/fsck/k9/controller/MessagingController.java
index d053443fe..c8be8feab 100644
--- a/src/com/fsck/k9/controller/MessagingController.java
+++ b/src/com/fsck/k9/controller/MessagingController.java
@@ -1005,13 +1005,19 @@ public class MessagingController implements Runnable {
              * Remove any messages that are in the local store but no longer on the remote store or are too old
              */
             if (account.syncRemoteDeletions()) {
+                ArrayList<Message> destroyMessages = new ArrayList<Message>();
                 for (Message localMessage : localMessages) {
                     if (remoteUidMap.get(localMessage.getUid()) == null) {
-                        localMessage.destroy();
+                        destroyMessages.add(localMessage);
+                    }
+                }
 
-                        for (MessagingListener l : getListeners(listener)) {
-                            l.synchronizeMailboxRemovedMessage(account, folder, localMessage);
-                        }
+
+                localFolder.destroyMessages(destroyMessages.toArray(EMPTY_MESSAGE_ARRAY));
+
+                for (Message destroyMessage : destroyMessages) {
+                    for (MessagingListener l : getListeners(listener)) {
+                        l.synchronizeMailboxRemovedMessage(account, folder, destroyMessage);
                     }
                 }
             }
diff --git a/src/com/fsck/k9/mail/store/LocalStore.java b/src/com/fsck/k9/mail/store/LocalStore.java
index f706ed8de..672554921 100644
--- a/src/com/fsck/k9/mail/store/LocalStore.java
+++ b/src/com/fsck/k9/mail/store/LocalStore.java
@@ -2020,6 +2020,27 @@ public class LocalStore extends Store implements Serializable {
             appendMessages(messages, false);
         }
 
+        public void destroyMessages(final Message[] messages) throws MessagingException {
+                try {
+                    database.execute(true, new DbCallback<Void>() {
+                        @Override
+                        public Void doDbWork(final SQLiteDatabase db) throws WrappedException, UnavailableStorageException {
+                            for (Message message : messages) {
+                                try {
+                                    message.destroy();
+                                } catch (MessagingException e) {
+                                    throw new WrappedException(e);
+                                }
+                            }
+                            return null;
+                        }
+                    });
+                } catch (MessagingException e) {
+                    throw new WrappedException(e);
+                }
+        }
+
+
         /**
          * The method differs slightly from the contract; If an incoming message already has a uid
          * assigned and it matches the uid of an existing message then this message will replace the