A MOTHER who lost her two children in a car collision says she was “devastated” to find a memorial to them had been desecrated.

Salli Crouch’s (previously Grant) children Jackson Watters, 17, and Millie Crouch, 12, were killed in a collision near Steeple Langford in October 2016.

The memorial near there home in Stoford has been a place where family and friends can visit on birthdays and anniversaries and other occasions as a way to keep their “memories alive”.

Describing how the incident has made her feel, she said: “Devastated. It’s hard enough to get over this grief but it brings it all back.”

She believes the damage happened sometime between Wednesday and before Good Friday, which is when she saw the damage.

“They ripped it all up nothing was left,” said Salli, who runs Happy Hearts fitness classes and discovered the damage when taking some fresh flowers to the site.

The memorial had been reduced to just grassland.

Items including two angels were thrown over the blackthorn bushes into the field along with recently planted bulbs, which had been pulled up and also thrown.

Potted flowers had also been “thrown around”.

“Why? First and foremost,” added Salli who described her anger and upset over what has happened and the emotions that had been brought back.

“I’m really angry at the moment. How could you be so cruel to two innocent children who were tragically taken.”

This is the first time damage has been caused to the memorial in more than five years.

“This was a mindless and venomous act. All the items had clearly been ripped out and thrown over the blackthorn bushes into the field below including freshly planted bulbs.”

Since the incident Salli has been checking the memorial, afraid further damage will be done to it.

“We have put the memorial back as much as we can,” she said.

When she first noticed the damage Salli says she had to do a “double take” but believes it wasn’t an accident as the memorial is located along a busy stretch of the A36 near Stoford and the only place to stop is a layby on the other side of the road which it means they would have had to cross this to get to the memorial.

She added: “I really cannot comprehend such mindless mentality and how callous someone can be. They clearly haven’t lost anyone they love.”

The incident has been reported to the police but Salli is hoping someone may have seen something in the days leading up to Good Friday and urges them to report it.

A Wiltshire Police spokesman said: “We have received a report that a memorial on the A36 near Steeple Langford has been damaged, which has caused significant distress to the family concerned. The damage is believed to have been caused some time between 13 and 14 April.”

Anyone with information call police on 101, quoting crime reference 54220038663.

 

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