Heartbroken family calls for CCTV at Northampton cemetery after sentimental items ‘stolen’ from grave

A family have been left “devastated” after sentimental items were taken from their loved one’s grave in a Northampton cemetery.

Selena Gregoriou from Boothville has alleged that personal items were stolen from the grave of her step-father, Michael Bishop, in the Kingsthorpe cemetery.

The 40-year-old has spoken out after claiming she has got nowhere after reporting her concerns to both Northamptonshire Police and West Northamptonshire Council.

Selena said: “This has been absolutely heartbreaking for us, especially for my mum who is very poorly with grief, as you can imagine.”

Michael Bishop - described as a “hard-working man” - passed away suddenly at the age of 67 in March 2021. He left behind three daughters - including his step-daughter, Selena - his wife of 36 years, Fabiola Bishop, and his pug Coco.

He was cremated in April 2021 and his final resting place in Kingsthorpe Cemetery was frequented by loved ones, who left a variety of sentimental items on his grave, such as photos and a Mini Cooper model Michael held onto for more than 40 years.

When Selena and her mother visited Michael’s grave in November 2021, however, they noticed the model was gone.

Selena said: “My mum was absolutely devastated. She is struggling at the moment anyway, she was distraught. I did not know what to do. I kept saying it was the wind but it was quite a heavy little car.”

When visiting another grave belonging to a family friend - Mary Edwards - who was cremated in May 2022, they saw that her cross had been vandalised, with the name plate being ripped off and thrown into the dirt. The windmill placed on her grave had also been destroyed and one of two angel ornaments had been taken.

The cross from a third nearby grave had also been broken in half.

Selena told Chronicle & Echo she reported all incidents of theft and damage to West Northamptonshire Council, who told her to report it to Northamptonshire Police.

She said she then exchanged emails with the police, fire and crime commissioner, who apologised and told her to report the incidents to the council.

Selena said: “It’s just like a game of tennis. You are just bouncing from one to the other. It’s just another problem added to their list. They are just not doing anything and they don’t seem to be bothered about it.”

The 40-year-old believes that a possible solution to tackling theft and vandalism in cemeteries would be to install CCTV cameras on the gates to see who enters and leaves the premises or more police patrols in the area.

Selena continued: “As you can imagine, we are all upset that this has been happening and will still happen if nothing gets done.

“I understand that the police are busy but our loved ones deserve to rest in peace and we deserve to feel reassured that their graves and belongings are safe and looked after.”

A spokeswoman for Northamptonshire Police told this newspaper that, as Kingsthorpe Cemetery is private property owned by WNC, they are responsible for the management of the site. She added that, whilst police can investigate crime, they cannot implement crime prevention measures, only advice.

The police spokeswoman said: “We take incidents of theft and criminal damage very seriously however, with all crimes, we need supporting evidence such as witnesses or CCTV footage to help identify those responsible to enable us to take the appropriate action.

“We would always encourage visitors to isolated places such as cemeteries to report any suspicious activities to us, no matter how insignificant they think it is. This helps to build a true picture of issues which are impacting certain areas and enables us to respond accordingly.”

West Northamptonshire Council have been approached for comment.