Father hits out at ‘sick’ grave vandals
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A GRIEVING father has condemned “a sick act of vandalism” which was carried out at his teenage son’s grave.
Seventeen-year-old Christopher Durrand was killed when his car crashed near Bower earlier this year.
His father, George Durrand, and mother, Valerie Henderson, were heartbroken by the loss of their only son and were devastated when they were told by police this week Christopher’s gravestone had been vandalised – just a fortnight after it was erected.
“We have been through hell – and for this to happen is beyond belief. It has broken our hearts all over again,” an emotional Mr Durrand told the Caithness Courier.
The five-foot memorial, made of stone imported from India, was knocked down and laser images of Christopher’s face and car were damaged.
George and Valerie visited the grave just after midnight on Monday. There were no problems at that time but when council staff arrived at the cemetery they discovered what happened and contacted police.
“It must have been some sick person who did this. It appears as if this was planned beforehand.
“Someone went there to do that and must have used a hammer or some metal object to chip away the laser images.
“Why this has been done we don’t know because Christopher had no enemies in the world,” said Mr Durrand.
“A cemetery is a sacred place. You just don’t do that kind of thing there. We have not recovered from Christopher’s death and now we have to face this.”
Mr Durrand urged the public to help him and his partner find out who is responsible for the vandalism.
“If anyone knows anything please don’t hesitate to come forward. I am offering a substantial reward for genuine information,” he stated.
Mr Durrand, who owns Oldwick Garage in Roxburgh Road, Wick, explained that the gravestone had just been erected two weeks ago.
“We waited about three months for some special stone which was imported from India. We are hoping the gravestone can be saved but we don’t know if that will be possible at this stage,” he added.
Area commander for Caithness, Sutherland and East Ross chief inspector Matthew Reiss described the vandalism as being “beyond the pale”.
“Once in a while incidents occur which are beyond belief and this, unfortunately, is one of these.
“Every officer in Caithness extends their sympathy to the Durrand family and every officer will be absolutely delighted to receive information in whatever form from the public.
“There must be somebody in the town who knows about this,” he said yesterday.
Mr Reiss explained that enquiries into the incident are being “actively pursued”.
Stuart Bell, the Highland Council’s Wick-based community works manager, confirmed local cemetery staff discovered the vandalism when they arrived for work on Monday morning.
The incident was reported to police.
“It is a despicable act and is not acceptable. Cemeteries are places where people should be very respectful.
“The Durrand family could well do without this,” he said.
Christopher died in February when his Ford Fiesta left the road at Hastigrow Bridge.
Graham Sutherland, a passenger, was injured in the accident which was discovered by police officers.
Fire crews helped free 18-year-old Mr Sutherland from the wreckage.
At the time, Mr Durrand described Christopher, who worked with him in the garage, as “the best son and the best friend in the world”.
The vandalism at Wick cemetery is the second such incident to happen there in just over a year.
In June 2011, David and Cathryn Fairweather were devastated when they discovered their son’s grave had been vandalised – just days after his burial.
They were shocked that cards were removed from a family wreath which was found almost 200 yards away.
Mr Fairweather described what occurred as “despicable” and said they could not understand why it had happened.
The couple’s 38-year-old son, Michael Fairweather, died suddenly at his home in Castlegreen Road in Thurso.
He came from Wick but lived in Thurso for about 15 years and worked as a creel fisherman.
