A daughter was left heartbroken after a part of her parents' gravestone was stolen for granite which can be sold on the black market.
Lynne Brown was visiting her parents at Lambhill Cemetery in Glasgow on what would have been her mum's 85th birthday. Lynne was horrified to see three large pieces of granite kerbing, which had been cemented to the ground around the grave were gone.
Heartbreaking discovery
Lynne, 48, said she believes these were "stolen" and that it would not have been a "quick job" as two of the three pieces of granite measured 6ft long. People steal granite due to it being highly valuable, durable and easily reproposed. It also commands a high resale price on the black market.
Lynne, from Glasgow, said: “When I went up and saw what had happened, there was a real mixture of emotions. It went from really upset with all these things going through my head, like ‘Who would do this? Why have they done it? Why this grave?’ to complete anger.
“I know these are desperate times for people, but that really is the lowest of the low to do that to somebody’s resting place. They would have had to have been dug out because they were cemented in.
After speaking to a couple of people, I reckon it would probably have taken a couple of hours to do that. Lambhill Cemetery is not super busy, but there are always passing cars or people out with dogs. There had to have been people passing, I’m confident of that.
“Understandably, they might have just assumed it was somebody there doing work on the grave. The holes have been covered with the gravel that was on top of the grave, and it’s very neatly dug out, which makes me feel like it’s been somebody who knew what they’re doing.”
Police investigation
After Lynne discovered the kerbing was missing, she said she got in touch with staff at the cemetery and reported it to Police Scotland. Officers said they received a report of theft from the cemetery and that enquiries were ongoing.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "On Friday, June 26, 2026, we received a report of a theft from a cemetery in Glasgow. Enquiries are ongoing."
Lynne said that she just wants to know what happened and to have the granite returned, as it will cost more than £1700 to replace. She added: “I contacted someone at the council who did come back to me with an apology for what had happened and assured me that they would investigate, but I’ve not heard anything else from them.
“I also called 101 and was sent a link to send over photographs of before and after, but I’ve not heard anything else from the police. I feel kind of in limbo just now.
"I feel quite torn because we would do anything for my parents, but I feel like if we go ahead and get the money together to get this done [have the granite replaced], is it going to be stolen again? That’s a worry, and I suppose the other thing is I just want a bit of justice here. I want to understand what has happened and who has taken this.
“I just feel like there must be somebody out there who will know something to help me get to the bottom of this and get the kerbing back.”
Family tribute
Lynne stated that she and her brothers had the grave renewed in 2017 after their mum, Anne, passed away from Alzheimer’s disease. Her dad, Denis, had sadly died 17 years earlier. Lynne added: “I was only 22 when my dad passed away. It was a really tough time and completely unexpected.
“We didn’t have much money, and a friend of the family kindly offered to pay for the headstone. When my mum passed away 17 years later, after a six-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease, my brothers and I got a different headstone.
“The stone mason had said to us, ‘Oh, this particular headstone is one of a kind’, and we thought, that’s it. A few weeks later, when they fitted the kerbing, I remember feeling so emotional. It felt like we had done them justice.
“We take a lot of pride in it.”
A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of this issue and we are saddened to learn of the upset experienced by Ms Brown. Our staff have spoken directly to her and assisted her as far as possible. Any theft should be reported to the police, and we will support fully any investigation into this incident.”
