Vandals target baby's grave

"Heartless" vandals trashed a three-day-old baby's grave in Ironbridge, her grieving mother said today.

But Katherine Henness said it was just the latest in a string of incidents since her daughter, Emilie, was buried at Castle Green Cemetery in June 2004.

Snowglobes and candleholders were discovered smashed today after precious ornaments, flowers and fairies were vandalised and stolen a few days ago, she said.

A glass box with Emilie's name inscribed on it was also stolen in the previous attack.

Another parent, Hazel Paton, has already got 1,000 signatures on a petition to have the cemetery fenced off after the grave of her teenage daughter Emma was vandalised twice.

Mrs Henness, who lives in Malinslee with her husband Brian, 45, and their daughters Chloe and Sophie, eight and two, said she would now have to visit the grave more than her usual three times a week as she was so worried about her daughter's resting place.

"They have swopped things from one grave to another and then a month or so ago more of Emilie's ornaments were damaged," she said. "We have put lots of fairies on her grave but their wings have been snapped off and vases with flowers in were knocked over and damaged.

"But Sunday was the worst I have ever seen it. Two solar lights were dismantled and the actual lights were removed.

"The glass box with fairies inside and her name on was also stolen. The ornamental butterfly had been trampled on and Emilie's real flowers were pulled out, their heads ripped off and scattered all over the place."

Mrs Henness, 29, said her two daughters usually go to the grave with her but fortunately did not visit on Sunday when she found the trashed grave.

"It's absolutely distressing to find that mess, particularly because it was only ours which was like that," she said. "The damage was awful. It's particularly cruel because it's happened in a special section for babies, so people obviously know where they are when they are doing it. You don't think human nature would entail somebody to do such a thing to a baby's grave."

Mrs Henness said she had signed Mrs Paton's petition to get the cemetery fenced off because it was used as a walk through from Ironbridge to Woodside.

Police in Telford said they would be stepping up patrols after branding the vandalism as "despicable". Anyone with information about the damage is asked to call Telford police on 08457 444888.