Parents' anger at 'violated' grave
Published Date:
05 July 2008
By Joanna Wardill
DISTRAUGHT parents Ruth and Chris Jackson say they feel "violated" after the second vandal attack on their daughter's grave in two months.
Heartless vandals left a trail of destruction around the grave of tragic teen Amy Godfrey who died in February aged 19, just two days after discovering she was pregnant.
Her grieving parents are still trying to come to terms with her sudden death but have been left reeling after discovering the latest carnage at her grave on Sunday.
Chris Jackson, Amy's stepdad, said: "This is the second attack since Amy died in February. We are absolutely gutted, it's hard to describe how we're feeling.
"It's a violation. We just can't understand how someone can do this to a grave."
In April, vandals pulled out special solar lights on Amy's grave to steal the batteries but on Sunday they smashed them up and left pieces strewn around the grave.
Amy's was one of six graves attacked in the sickening spree when a custom-made wooden cross headstone was also ripped up.
Mr Jackson, 43, of Leathem Crescent, Featherstone, said: "We put the first attack down to drunk youths but this was different. To actually pull someone's headstone out of the ground is sick.
"My wife is horrified. To go up and see it all smashed was devastating. Personal things that we have put there to help us feel better were all smashed up. It's just unbelievable."
The couple are calling for more security at Featherstone's Cutsyke Road cemetery in a bid to keep out the vandals.
Mr Jackson said: "The gates are lockable but are never locked to my knowledge. I know I have been up there late at night at times and the gates have never been locked. They need to keep the vandals out."
Andy Nicholls, of Wakefield Council's parks and public realm department, said: "We are talking to the police and our neighbourhood patrol team about this.
"The team does already carry out random checks on all cemeteries. What we would like to do is to be able to strike a balance between allowing mourners reasonable access to the cemetery and ensuring the safety and protection of graves and those visiting them.
"If we close the gates too early this bars the way to genuine visitors. We're not convinced that simply locking the gates will sufficiently deter those intent upon vandalism, so a number of possible options are being looked at.
"We are determined to make sure this problem is resolved as soon as possible to prevent any further distress."
Anyone who has any information about the grave attacks should contact Pontefract CID via 0845 6060606 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
The full article contains 450 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
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Last Updated:
02 July 2008 1:25 PM
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Source:
n/a
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Location:
Pontefract & Castleford