The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Mother left heartbroken at theft from son’s grave
PERTH: Lantern taken from exsoldier’s resting place over Christmas
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It’s really devastating that people could stoop so low... What kind of person would even think of that? It’s stealing from the dead in effect – it doesn’t get much worse than that. YVONNE HEATH
The mother of a young Scots soldier who died at Deepcut Barracks has been left “heartbroken” after a thief stole a lantern from his grave at Christmas.
Yvonne Heath’s son Private James Collinson, 17, from Perth, was found dead at the Surrey army base in March 2002.
Mrs Heath visited his grave in Perth’s Jeanfield Cemetery on Christmas Day. However, when she returned on Boxing Day, she found a lantern she had left burning had been stolen, along with its secured stand.
She posted a picture on Facebook, with the words: “Another visit with my eldest this morning again...only to find some low life has stolen one of his lanterns .... including the stand! I have no words .... ”
Speaking yesterday, she said the theft was “soul destroying” and appealed for the object to be returned.
She said: “We went first thing on Christmas Day and lit candles and went back and one of the lanterns had been stolen, along with the stand that it was on.
“We’d just put fresh candles in and lit them. There were two of them and one of them is still there, the other is gone. We had a wander round to see if somebody had just moved it, but there was no sign of it.
“It’s happened on Christmas night, probably – somebody who’s had one too many to drink taking a shortcut through the cemetery and seeing the candle burning.
“The fact the stand was gone as well – it was in with tent hooks and must have taken some tugging.
“It’s soul destroying, really upsetting. Why anybody would want to do that really is devastating.
“I think people who do these things probably don’t realise the devastation it causes. It might just be a lantern but it means so much. It would be really nice if they would return it.”
Mrs Heath, who now lives in Cheshire, returns to Perth regularly and visits her son’s grave. She added: “I like to come up when I can and Christmas Day’s extra special.
“At Christmas when you would normally buy your son a gift, what do you do when they are no longer here? I just put a little thing in his garden, as I call it. I’m forever adding bits and bobs, just things that make it personal to him. I like to have candles burning.
“It’s really devastating that people could stoop so low, to steal something. What kind of person would even think of that? It’s stealing from the dead in effect – it doesn’t get much worse than that. It’s heartbreaking.”
Mrs Heath has received support from friends and family members on Facebook. Among them, Rose Gentle, whose own son Gordon died aged 19 while serving in Iraq, posted: “Scum, how can people do this”.
Private Collinson was one of four soldiers who died at the barracks in Surrey in suspicious circumstances between 1995 and 2002.
He was just 17 when he was found dead with a single gunshot wound to the head.
Privates Sean Benton, 20, Cheryl James, 18 and Geoff Gray, 17, also died from gunshot wounds while undergoing training at the headquarters of the Royal Logistics Corps.
The families of all four have fought to discover what led to their deaths.
Just last year, a coroner ruled that Cheryl James’ death was self-inflicted, but criticised the culture at Deepcut. Fresh inquests are expected to take place next year in to the deaths of privates Benton and Gray.
An initial inquiry into James Collinson’s case returned an open verdict but Mrs Heath hopes she too will soon be granted a new inquest.
She said: “We didn’t have all the evidence that was available on the original inquest.
“Now that we do have full disclosure from Surrey Police, we should have a heck of a lot more evidence to go forward with and have a new inquest.
“That’s the intention. It’s certainly been the case with the other three. We are in it together.”