Vandals smash grave memorial to ‘Mr Big’
VANDALS have attacked a memorial at the grave of Salford ‘Mr Big’ Paul Massey.
They are thought to have used hammers to smash a marble bench beside the grave, which included two commemorative plaques in his honour.
His partner, Louise Lydiate, described the attack as ‘disgusting.’
Police are investigating the incident, which took place at Agecroft Cemetery on Thursday morning.
Massey, 55, was shot five times with a sub-machine gun outside his home in Clifton on July 26, 2015.
Following a funeral attended by hundreds of people, one of the mourners was attacked at his graveside.
Massey’s ‘brother-in-law’ Stephen Lydiate was beaten with a heavy wooden beam used to lower the coffin into the grave and had a chemical poured in his face.
He was taken to hospital but his injuries were not life-threatening.
Massey was branded Salford’s ‘Mr Big’ during a council meeting in 1992 and was jailed for 14 years for stabbing a man in the groin in 1999.
He stood to become mayor of Salford in 2012.
Following the attack on the graveside, Mr Massey’s former partner and the mother of his children Louise Lydiate said the incident was ‘too upsetting’ to talk about in detail, although she went on to describe the vandalism as ‘disgusting.’
The damaged marble bench had not been repaired by yesterday morning.
One of the plaques read: “In loving memory of Paul Massey, a loving father, grandad, brother, uncle, friend, 1960 2015, love always.”
The grave itself has not been damaged.
A spokesman for GMP said that police were called at 3.20pm on Thursday to reports of damage caused to a bench at Agecroft Crematorium.
Enquiries are ongoing and anyone with information should contact police on 101 quoting reference number 1201 of 13/09/18 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.