 Aneurin Jones is saddened by the attacks |
Community councillors are offering a cash reward to catch vandals who have desecrated the graves of stillborn babies and damaged headstones in a village cemetery. Youths are being blamed for attacks at the cemetery of the sixth century church of St Rhedyw in Llanllyfni near Caernarfon.
Llanllyfni Community Council is offering a �100 reward to anyone who can give any information leading to the capture of those responsible.
They say a memorial garden which offered relatives a quiet place of contemplation in the corner of the churchyard has become a regular meeting place for drunken vandals.
A clasp which locked a heavy iron trapdoor leading to an underground crypt for stillborn children has been broken and the crypt littered with beer cans.
Many of the plants carefully planted in the garden by schoolchildren have been uprooted and at least a dozen headstones around the cemetery have been smashed.
 Youths have pounded iron railings through headstones |
Aneurin Jones, whose parents, brother and grandparents are buried in the cemetery, cannot believe the actions of the vandals.
"I don't understand the mentality of these people. Why would they want to do it ?" he said
"The dead can't do anything can they? You would think they could be left to rest in peace.
"There shouldn't be a need to offer a financial rewards for this," added Mr Jones.
He said the gravestones were smashed by youths using the iron railings which surround some of the graves.
A number of the traditional slate headstones have holes in them while the top parts of others have been completely smashed and the inscriptions chipped away.
 Parts of St Rhedyw date back to the 6th Century |
Although relieved to see his family's resting places are still intact, Mr Jones is particularly sad to see that the headstone of the former drummer of the Nantlle Brass Band, Henry Pritchard, is among those damaged.
Councillor O P Huws, who put forward the idea of offering the reward, said not every councillor was in favour of the idea.
"Some were totally against it but I know how much pain this is causing the families who have loved ones buried here," he said.
"I received a phone call from a woman whose twin is buried in the crypt who noticed the damage after she went to visit the grave.
"People were coming up to me as local councillor and asking me what I was doing about it.
 Headstones near the memorial garden have been hit |
"Someone must have heard something about who is responsible so we're offering the reward to anyone who can supply a name," he said.
It was not the first time is had happened and he had received many complaints last year after some headstones were deliberately damaged, he said.
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