A mother whose daughter was stillborn at 36 weeks has described the devastation of finding her child's grave vandalised twice.
Courteney Alikhan, 27, became unwell on May 2, 2025. Her husband, Nadeem Alikhan, 29, drove her to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, but she suffered a "massive haemorrhage" during the journey.
Once she arrived at hospital, an ultrasound showed that their baby had died. Courteney was placed under general anaesthetic and underwent a laparotomy and Cesarean section before waking several hours later in intensive care.
Grave vandalised twice
The couple were given five days with their daughter, whom they named Avayah-Laylah, before her funeral on June 6. Avayah-Laylah was laid to rest at Canley Garden Cemetery and Crematorium in Coventry.
Over the months, the family have added personalised flowers, seasonal decorations and other ornaments. These have included a large Nutcracker for Christmas, pink pumpkins for Halloween and an inflatable number one to mark what would have been Avayah-Laylah's first birthday.
However, on July 26, 2026, Courteney and her eldest daughter, Aaliyah, 10, discovered that the grave had been vandalised. Courteney told PA Real Life: "All of her lights and little ornament ducks had been pulled out. They just made a complete mess … and as we were putting everything back in its place, that's when we noticed things were missing."
Emotional significance
Among the belongings taken were two sister statue figures, a tiger that the family affectionately regarded as the grave's guard dog, and several artificial roses. Although the items were not particularly valuable financially, Courteney said their emotional significance was immense. "They're not things that people would see as valuable money-wise, but to me they have sentimental value," she said.
The couple returned the following morning to remove the remaining decorations for safekeeping, only to discover that more items had disappeared, including a collection of ducks. Courteney said the incidents left her devastated. "I cried for about three days – all day, all night," she said.
"I was heartbroken and I'm still heartbroken. You must be very disturbed to go that low because I can't imagine what it's like to have a mind that cruel." The family now keeps most of the decorations at home, with only four lights currently displayed at the grave because Courteney is afraid they could be stolen again.
She reported the vandalism and theft to police on July 25, but the case has since been concluded due to a lack of evidence, although it may be revisited if further information becomes available.
Petitions for CCTV
Courteney has since launched two petitions, one through Coventry City Council and another on Change.org, calling for CCTV cameras to be installed at Canley Crematorium. She said having the freedom to decorate Avayah-Laylah's grave is an important part of her grieving process. "It's bad enough that myself and other bereaved families have to go there to visit our loved ones," Courteney said.
"But to be going there with the fear of being targeted by thieves? That makes grief way more difficult than it needs to be. The last thing you want to deal with when you've lost a child is someone taking the things that you have of them.
"Things that you've put there out of love that don't mean anything to anyone other than you, your person and your family." Courteney discovered she was pregnant with Avayah-Laylah in September 2024. She said she and Nadeem were thrilled but also anxious because she had experienced several miscarriages previously.
She described the pregnancy as challenging, with discomfort in her side, swelling in her legs and feet and a persistent cough that meant she needed frequent courses of antibiotics.
On May 2, 2025, she woke feeling "icky", but her condition deteriorated rapidly that afternoon. She became "woozy" and developed severe abdominal pain. Nadeem returned from the gym within minutes and rushed his wife to their car. Courteney called University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire to tell staff they were on their way.
By the time they arrived, Courteney said Nadeem had to "scoop" her out of the vehicle. She recalled seeing blood throughout the car and then noticing a trail of blood on the ground as they made their way inside. "We got to the ward doors and there was just a line of doctors, midwives and nurses, and I was straight in," she said. "I'll never forget when they took my trousers off, there was just a splatter of blood everywhere."
An ultrasound carried out within around 30 minutes of her admission confirmed that Avayah-Laylah had died. Courteney had lost an estimated 2.2 litres of blood, with blood loss above two litres regarded as life-threatening. Doctors put her under general anaesthetic and carried out a caesarean section.
Despite having been told that her baby had died, Courteney said she continued to ask where her daughter was because she was convinced in her mind that Avayah-Laylah was still alive. The family were able to spend the next five days together, giving them time to cuddle their daughter, take photographs and say goodbye.
Funeral and memorial
Following a post-mortem examination, Avayah-Laylah was released to funeral directors Grimmett & Timms. Courteney praised the company for the care they showed the family, including arranging a horse and carriage and pink bows throughout the funeral arrangements.
Avayah-Laylah was buried at Canley Crematorium on June 6, 2025. Since then, Courteney and Aaliyah have regularly visited shops such as B&M and TK Maxx to find decorations for the grave, with pink being a recurring theme.
"We take a lot of pride in decorating and making her (plot) look pretty," Courteney said. The family also works with two businesses to create bespoke floral arrangements, using both fresh and artificial flowers.
Their Halloween display last year included pink pumpkins, ghosts decorated with pink ribbons, skeletons and red roses. At Christmas, the grave was transformed with a large pink Nutcracker, angels, gingerbread men and a wreath decorated with bows and lollipops.
Courteney said she wants the grave to be visible and beautifully decorated because, to her, it represents her daughter's permanent home. She added: "If she was here, she'd have nice hair, she'd have nice clothes, nice shoes, nice toys, a nice room. To me, that is her room and that's her forever bed."
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police told PA Real Life: "We're investigating a report of theft after items were stolen from a grave at Canley Garden Cemetery and Crematorium on July 25. Inquiries are ongoing and anyone with information is asked to get in touch via live chat on our website quoting crime reference 20/342694/26."
