Smashed in ‘a moment of madness’

AVICAR said he believed damage to a graveyard had been caused “in a moment of madness and pain” by someone under emotional stress.

Ornaments were smashed and graves clawed at in the Coetmor cemetery and mortuary chapel in Bethesda last Monday.

A stone block was ripped from a grave and thrown through the church’s leaded window, with flowers and tributes kicked across the ceme- tery. But the vicar there does not believe the destruction was the work of yobs.

There had been reports of an adult seen throwing objects in the graveyard on Bank Holiday Monday.

Rev John Matthews said: “The individual involved managed to dislodge the large heavy stone vases semi-buried into the graves and throw them around.

“Flowers were kicked off graves, and a dustbin full of rubbish was emptied over the cremated remains area.

“There was also disturbance to some grave tops, too. This person dug into a number of the graves in a sort of frenzied way.

“They were clearly digging out of desperation.

“The saddest part is that some of the special trinkets from the graves have been taken.

“I’m hoping that in time they will be returned.

“In my view, I cannot see someone deliberately going solely to cause that damage.

“It looks like a moment of madness, and I wonder if it was someone who had visited under emotional strain and just snapped or perhaps some mental health issues.”

Claire Royds Hughes discovered her father’s grave was one of those that had been tampered with.

She said: “I got there to see someone has stolen the stone cross my girls put there.

“I don’t understand why. I’m so angry and upset.”

Parishioner Sara Jones, 43, has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to help towards the cost of repairs.