Editorial: Graves vandal must be caught

Family members are distraught after a children's graveyard is vandalised.

It is impossible to understand the awful actions of the person responsible for the desecration of children's graves at a South Auckland cemetery .

Police say the man who desecrated the graves at the Papakura Cemetery was caught on CCTV footage.

Headstones and decorations were pulled from many children's gravesites and placed in piles.

About three or four sections of the cemetery were damaged.

Outraged families have since spoken of their hurt and anger and the wider community has expressed its disgust at the man's actions.

Comments have been flooding in on social media from angry members of the public.

Rayella Te Ringa, a family member of a young girl buried at the plot, says her family is devastated.

"It is disgusting ...

"We are just slowly getting her things back on the gravesite now."

How anyone could get pleasure from causing more pain to grieving families is beyond me.

The person's actions are deplorable, deranged and defy belief.

The local council is cordoning off the baby section of the cemetery and community groups are helping families to restore the crosses and memorials.

Attention now turns to the task of tracking down the offender.

Hopefully, with the aid of the CCTV footage, the community will be able to help identify the person responsible for the desecration so that he can be held to account for his callous actions.