Vandals attack babies' graves | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

Midnight attacks on Masterton cemeteries have tormented a grieving young mother and left council officers ready to lock graveyard gates at night.

Grant Hathaway, Masterton District Council parks and recreation manager, said there
had been an extraordinary spike in vandalism attacks at both the River Rd and Archer
St cemeteries in the town since late last month.

He said  council officers would meet to  decide whether to install barrier gates at both
locations,  which would be closed and locked at night.

``I can confirm there has been more than usual activity in both of our cemeteries in the
 past couple of weeks _ fences knocked down, trees pulled out and headstones damaged.''

He said the cost of repairs to the council ``will be in the thousands, not hundreds'' and
he suspects only a handful of culprits are responsible.

``I really don't believe that anybody who has lost a loved one would then go on to be so disrespectful and it's more than likely only one or two people are involved.''

A Masterton man, who declined to be named, said his young daughter had discovered ``someone had stomped all over the  babies' graves'' when she visited that section
of the Archer St cemetery  last week to tend the grave of her stillborn son.

``She lost him four months ago and both her and her partner's emotions are still very
raw _ and she found the grave and others around it totally trashed. She just completely broke down.

``How could someone do this, especially to the grave of a child? We cleaned every
thing up as best we could but that still doesn't wipe things out for her. She's shattered.''