Woman ‘disgusted’ after third grave tampering

AN emotional plea to ‘disrespectful’ thieves who have been targeting graves at Barnsley Cemetery has been made after a Thurnscoe woman found her mum’s grave tampered with for the third time.

Lauren Dolman, 38, went to visit the grave of her mum – Karen McGinty – on what would have been her birthday earlier this month, but was shocked with what she found.

For the third time since her mum was buried at the Cemetery Road site just 12 months ago, Lauren found items had been stolen from her grave.

She took to Facebook and, after speaking to others visiting their loved ones, she found she wasn’t the only one encountering the same issue.

“It would have been her birthday last Wednesday so I went to her grave,” she said.

“I noticed a few things had vanished.

“I was just standing there looking and that’s when it clicked things were missing. Her angel wind chime had gone and a few ornaments my daughter Millie put on there had gone.

“I found the wind chime on another grave and I had a look for the ornaments but I couldn’t find them.”

Lauren was forced to look through the bins to try and find the items left for her late mum – but she’s not the only one that’s suffered the same fate.

“I had to go through the bin which looked like it had been set alight,” she said.

“It’s disgusting – I just don’t think it’s fair. I feel we can’t put anything on the grave because it might end up getting stolen.

“It’s not nice to go to your loved one’s grave and find things missing,

“When I went to see if it had been put back there was someone else saying something had been pinched so it’s not just me – it’s really disappointing.

“I’m hoping they’ll be returned as my mum suffered enough and she still can’t rest in peace.”

Lauren believes it could be children stealing the items, but has also heard dogs have previously torn items to bits.

“I’ve no problem with people’s dogs on here but letting them walk on graves is not acceptable,” she added. “I find it disrespectful.

“It’s horrible that things have vanished and it’s not just my mum’s things. My mum would have given people things – they shouldn’t be stolen.

“It’s the fact it’s my 14-year-old daughter Millie who has put them on that’s bugged me.”