Vendetta fears as girl's grave vandalised twice in one week

THE mother of a young girl who died in tragic circumstances has told how she fears her daughter's grave is being deliberately targeted by vandals - after it was attacked twice within a week.

• Mrs Cameron with the smashed cherub

Police are investigating the attacks on the final resting place of 20-year-old Ashley Cameron in Currie Cemetery.

Her grieving family visited last week to find the head of a cherub on the gravestone knocked off.

They returned days later to find it had been completely smashed.

No other graves in the cemetery were damaged, leaving the family to believe it is a deliberate campaign.

Ashley was found dead in her flat in November 2008 and while the police have ruled her death was a suicide, her family are continuing to press for a fresh investigation.

Ashley's mother, Carol Ann, 45, from Bathgate, said: "The vandalism of her grave just doesn't make any sense. Why would they only vandalise Ashley's grave and none of the others?"

She added: "We had placed a little stone statue on the grave of a cherub carrying a lamb. It reminded us of the time Ashley tried to take a lamb home with her on a family outing."

The grave was previously targeted by thieves in August 2009, when a heavy stone angel, a crystal angel, around half-a-dozen teddy bears and fresh flowers were stolen.

Ashley, who suffered from depression and obsessive compulsive disorder, was found dead in her Dalry Road flat just two weeks before her 21st birthday. Police say there were no suspicious circumstances.

Mrs Cameron and her husband Ronnie, 60, a cabaret singer, have been fighting for a fresh probe amid claims that she was being stalked.

A city council spokesman said: "It is shocking that someone could be so heartless as to deliberately damage a grave. "Staff at the cemetery keep an eye out for any problems but cemeteries have to be open for long hours so the public can pay their respects at different times.

"We will do everything in our power to assist the police with their inquiries to catch these mindless vandals."

A police spokesman said: "An investigation is ongoing to trace whoever is responsible for damaging the grave

"In the most recent incident, the grave was damaged sometime overnight last Wednesday and Thursday. Anyone who remembers seeing anything suspicious in the area or who has information that can assist us is asked to contact police immediately."