Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Family ‘distraught’ at thefts from graveside
A DUNDEE family has been left distraught by the theft of sentimental items from a loved one’s graveside.
Marc McWilliams, 24, an electrical engineer from Broughty Ferry, said that in the past five months several items had been taken from his dad’s graveside at Barnhill Cemetery.
Marc, whose dad died i n January last year, today described the thefts as “really upsetting” for the family.
He told the Tele: “Family members who have left items at the graveside that have been stolen are distraught.
“Since my dad died, we have spent a lot of time looking after the grave. Several family members have donated pots with plants and shrubs and there was a matching set of eight.
“In the past five months they have all been taken, which has caused a great deal of disappointment and upset.
“Even small items of sentimental value, left by younger family members, have been taken. It’s such a shame.
“Sadly we are now at the stage of considering not replacing these items. We don’t see why we should tend the grave and leave items there in memory of my dad, only to have them stolen.
“We visit my dad’s grave two to three times a week and look after it carefully. To have other people steal stuff from it is just devastating.”
Marc said he was concerned that Dundee City Council allowed pedestrian access to its cemeteries 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He said: “Surely this only encourages vandalism and theft if anyone can walk straight in. I understand with limited budgets that services are more restricted.
“However, I do not see why the council can’t operate the same system as other local authorities, who restrict vehicle and pedestrian access after dusk until 8am when staff start.”
Marc said he had been in touch with staff at the cemetery to make them aware of what had happened. He continued: “I understand that the staff have even had to remove empty alcohol bottles that had been left in the cemetery overnight.
“Surely something needs to be done to stop this happening and I would like the local authority to consider closing all access to the cemetery during the hours of darkness.
“We don’t want this to happen to us again and we would hate it to happen to other families.”
A spokesman for Dundee City Council said: “We are conscious of the impact this type of distressing antisocial behaviour has on grieving relatives and the wider local community.
“Cemetery gates in Dundee are locked at night to prevent vehicles getting in, but it is not practical to stop pedestrian access.”
Last month the Tele reported that a grieving couple have been left “distraught” after tributes were taken from their son’s grave at Barnhill.
Jennifer and Stewart Ellis, from Monifieth, had put down memorial items next to son David’s headstone but when they visited his grave a few days later several items were stolen.