DISTRAUGHT Kath May is the latest victim of the Harehills Cemetery thefts after her bag was snatched as she tended her father's grave.
The 53-year-old has even had contact with the culprit who responded to texts and a phonecall made to her mobile which was inside the stolen handbag.
Mrs May was targeted just days after Diane Davis had her handbag stolen from her car while visitin
g her mother's grave.
The Davis family are so incensed, son Andrew Firth is offering a £1,000 reward to catch the thief.
Police are not linking the two incidents but have warned that the cemetery saw a similar spate of incidents last summer.
The cemetery is near areas with drug problems and police are urging mourners to be extra vigilant.
Mrs May, of Roundhay Park, told the YEP: "I was kneeling down doing some weeding and I had my handbag between my knees. Then all of a sudden someone came up behind me, bent down, grabbed the bag and ran off.
"The main thing I'm worried about is that I had a piece of my dad's hair and photos of him in the bag. We sent a message to my mobile and he answered it. He said he was sorry for what he had done and that he needed the money for drugs."
Opportunism
Mrs May also had £200 in cash in her purse as well as her mobile phone taken in the theft.
"My daughter has also texted saying my mum's very upset and just wants the photos (and hair). She then phoned and he answered it and said 'I promise you, I will let you know where the bag is."
The family have heard nothing since.
The theft at 10.40am on Wednesday came just four days after a thief grabbed Mrs Davies handbag.
Son Andrew, 35, of Wakefield said: "This has knocked her for six. Targeting people in a cemetery is the lowest of the low. It's the last place where you go and would expect to be on guard."
Police say Harehills Cemetery has been hit by thieves due to its location and the vulnerability of people using the site.
Insp Andrew Briggs said: "It's not just one person, there's an element of opportunism as well. There were problems last year at that particular cemetery.
"We are putting more patrols down there and members of the public do need to be vigilant. It is just that cemetery because of the nature of the area and there is movement in that area with people looking for drugs."
The thief who targeted Mrs May is described as white, about 20 years old, 6ft, of slim build, wearing a white jacket, a baseball cap and dark trousers.
It is believed the same man may have struck just 10 minutes earlier when a thief, matching the same description, stole a handbag from a woman on the nearby Coldcotes Drive.
Anyone with information is urged to call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
