Graves damage case relatives at court

Devastated relatives turned up for the court case of a man accused of smashing gravestones at a Black Country cemetery.

Families gathered outside Warley Magistrates Court yesterday where Jason Griffiths, of Cowley Road, Oxford, appeared.

He was charged with causing £100,000 worth of damage, including damaging around 40 headstones, at Thimblemill Cemetery between 6pm and 9.30pm last Wednesday.

Choking back tears, great-grandmother-of-11 Maureen Salmon told how vases on top her husband Canute's grave were filled with dirt and dead flowers and his headstone was scratched. Mrs Salmon, who attended court with her daughter Dawn Bennett and son Ivan Salmon, said: "We're all devastated by the damage.

"I lost my husband two years and a day ago and to see the cemetery like that was heartbreaking."

June Habberley's husband Allan is buried in the Thimblemill Road cemetery after he passed away due to cancer in February 2007.

Mrs Habberley, who was at court with her daughter Dawn Crumpton, said: "It was incredibly upsetting when I got to the cemetery.

"The headstone was all scratched and today I felt even worse than when I first saw it."

Kitchen manager Alison Alexander, aged 39, discovered the damage at 7.45am on Thursday, on her first birthday since her husband passed away. Mrs Alexander's niece is also buried in the cemetery. Mrs Alexander said: "I go down every morning and to see that was awful."

At least 20 people, including those with family members buried at the ceremony, were at court yesterday. Griffiths was remanded in custody.