Yobs who vandalised a child's grave have been condemned by police for the despicable act. Rachel Gadie, whose son Riley Cameron died at the age of eight in 2008, is appealing to the public to help officers find the vandals.
Ms Gadie, 39, rushed to her son's grave at St Nicholas Church cemetery in Beverley after her sister discovered the damage.
She said: "All the little pots of plants at the grave have been smashed and thrown around.
"The plants have been ripped out and one of the pots was dumped on top of the plaque.
"This has caused me great upset and anger.
"I can't understand how anyone could do this. None of the other graves appear to have been touched.
"There's a bench near Riley's grave and you see teenagers in there quite a bit so I don't know if children have done it."
Riley, who was a pupil at Beverley's Keldmarsh Primary School, died in July 2008, eight days after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia.
Ms Gadie, an office administrator from Beverley, said the damage at Riley's grave has upset the family, including his sister Rianna, 11.
She said: "I was at work when my sister had gone to visit Riley's grave.
"She rang me and I just went straight down there.
"I was really upset but now I am angry more than anything."
The police have been told about the damage, which is thought to have taken place some time between May 26 and June 4.
Ms Gadie said: "I hope if anyone saw anything they will inform the police so we can find who was responsible."
Sergeant John Roe, of Beverley's neighbourhood policing team, said: "This is a despicable and thoughtless act of vandalism.
"It is sad that someone has mindlessly damaged this child's grave without considering the feelings of the family.
'The family are obviously deeply distressed and I appeal to anyone who knows those responsible for this act to contact us."
Ms Gadie is hoping to organise a fundraising event next month in aid of the Riley Cameron Forget-Me-Not Fund, which has so far raised some £5,000 in support of Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.
Riley had never taken a day off school sick until he was stricken by leukaemia.
• Anyone with information about the vandalism should call Humberside Police on 101, quoting crime reference CS/2048348/2014.
'Alarming and unusual'
The Rev Richard Walker, Vicar of St Nicholas Church, Beverley, said: "In the nine months I have been here I have never experienced anything of this nature.
"It's quite alarming and unusual for the East Riding.
"It's the first experience of this while I have been here.
"It is a closed graveyard, which means we are not in there as much as we used to be. I suspect it might be an isolated incident but I would want to look into it."
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