A mum has been left “devastated” after vandals trashed the grave of her six-week old baby girl.
Thugs trampled over the plot occupied by tiny Te’neka Rothery-Graham at Harehills Cemetery in Leeds, smashed numerous ornaments and tore down a small white fence that surrounded the grave.
Her mum, Leanne Rothery, said: “I’m absolutely devastated, I don’t understand how anyone could do something like this.
“To see something like that is so upsetting.
“What did my little girl ever do to anyone?” Miss Rothery, 34, was heartbroken when she lost Te’neka to cot death on July 17, 2010.
The Seacroft mum, who has four other children, pays regular visits to the grave along with other family members.
It is thought the incident happened sometime between 12.30pm on Thursday, when another visitor walked past the grave, and 1.30pm, when Miss Rothery went to the Kimberley Road cemetery.
“Virtually everything had been smashed,” she said.
“There were so many ornaments there and it was obvious it’s a little baby’s grave. They left about two things that weren’t damaged.
“It’s beyond belief.” She believes the attack may be connected to an altercation she had with a woman who was recently seen drinking in the cemetery.
North East Leeds police have mounted extra patrols around the cemetery following the incident – and a similar incident last week.
A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “Another child’s grave was damaged at the same cemetery last week.
“Officers from the Gipton and Harehills Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) have increased patrols in the area.”
The cemetery has been blighted by problems with theft and vandalism.
In 2010 21 Muslim graves were desecrated.
Then, in April of this year, mementoes including teddy bears and pictures left for dead babies at the cemetery were set alight – just days after a great grandmother’s grave was badly damaged.
And in May vandals attacked the grave of eight-month-old Demi-Leigh Longdon on what would have been her third birthday.
Anyone who witnessed the latest incident or who has any information that could assist the investigation should contact Gipton and Harehills NPT via 101.
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