Family devastated as engraved jars are taken from son's grave
A family say they are devastated after tributes were stolen from a child's grave.
In the past two weeks six flower arrangements and two special jars have been stolen from Michael Cureton's grave at the Hall Green Cemetery in Bradley. It is the fourth time items have been stolen in the years he has been buried there.
Michael was 13 when he died from an illness in 2002, four days before his birthday.
His mother Heather Cureton, of Bilston, said she is heartbroken by the thefts, which included two engraved jars that had been filled with flowers and shells, as Michael loved the beach.
Heavy, recycled glass pickle jars from a chip shop, one had been engraved 'happy birthday Michael', and the other says 'if tears could build a stairway, and memories a lane, I'd walk right up to Heaven and bring you home again'.
Mrs Cureton, 45, said: "This just makes it all worse, it adds to the pain of losing Michael. Going down there today and seeing it how it is and knowing how I left it...I just burst into tears.
"It is pure evil. To take off a grave is bad enough, but to take off a child's grave is lower than low."
Mrs Cureton has contacted the police and the council about the thefts, and is urging anyone with information to contact them about it.
"I put him there to lay him to rest, I didn't put him there for people to take things off his grave."
His sister Kristal, 20, said the family was devastated the jars had been stolen: "That is the only word I can use to describe it. My mum just wants whoever is doing it to leave my brother alone and let him rest in piece."
The family is urging anyone who has seen the jars, which are easily identifiable because of the engraving, to call police on 101.
