HEARTLESS thieves have stolen precious Christmas ornaments from a two-year-old boy's grave.
Tracy Birchall's son Corey lost his battle for life in early January this year and his family were hoping to mark their first Christmas without him by decorating his grave at Leigh Cemetery with festive gifts.
Now they have been stolen and Tracy, hu
sband Paul, and two young daughters Elle, six, and Abbi, nine, are inconsolable.
Tracy, a 31-year-old nursery nurse from Nel Pan Lane, said: "I don't think the people who have took them realise the upset this has caused because he was really poorly last Christmas. There is nothing you can do but to make his grave look nice and lovely and I can't understand this at all.
"It is very upsetting, my girls are devastated and they knew, they said "mummy has somebody stolen them?" and I just feel sick.
"His photo is on the headstone so they know it is a child's grave, it is so obvious and I can't believe people would stoop so low to steal from a child's grave."
A Santa on his sleigh, a Christmas snowshaker and a red Santa car with children and presents worth £30, are all missing. The items disappeared sometime between Monday, December 8 and Friday, December 12.
This latest incident at the Manchester Road cemetery comes after distressed relatives have suffered a series of small thefts in recent months.
Gary Breeze, 22, who died in a car accident in January, has had two windchimes stolen from his grave near to Corey's.
His best mate, Richard Harvey, said: "I think it is disgusting that somebody would do this and it is sickening."
Corey died in his parents' arms on January 3 from the childhood cancer, acute myloid leukemia, and, after an incredibly difficult year, the theft has made life even harder for the Birchall household.
Tracy added: "When a child dies it gets worse as time goes on because it has been longer and longer since you last saw them and they aren't there with the rest of the family.
"It is awful on Mother's Day, Father's Day, the other children's birthdays, all anniversary's and even going on days out thinking that he isn't with us."
Tracy isn't bothered about catching the sick culprits - she just wants the precious items returned. She added: "I don't want to know who has stolen them, I just want them back, if they drop them off at the Leigh Reporter office or just return them to Leigh Cemetery.''
A spokesperson for Wigan Council, who run and maintain the cemetery, said: "We are aware of these heartless thefts and we do our best to patrol the cemeteries, but the long, dark nights are perfect cover for these despicable opportunists."
If you have information on the thefts, contact Leigh Police on 0161 8725050 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
