Family 'heartbroken' after theft and destruction of memorial bench

Mandi Shearman lives with her cousin, Carrie Smith, on the Fitton Hill estate in Hathershaw.

After the pair lost their beloved uncle and father, Harry Batty, to cancer on June 24, 2022, after a long battle with the disease, Mandi decided to purchase a memorial bench for the pair to enjoy in their front garden.

Mandi said: "(Harry) passed at home with my auntie Janet, his wife, who nursed him to the end.

“My auntie Janet and uncle Harry live in Levenshulme so Carrie stayed down there to help her mum for the last few months to look after him when he became bedbound.

Carrie and Mandi (left to right) are disgusted by the theft of their memorial bench.

“I bought the bench in his memory as he didn’t have a funeral.

"He opted to have a pure cremation which he sorted before the cancer got worse, so my cousin didn’t really have a chance to grieve properly.

“It hit her hard.

"She suffered with depression and she has only just now managed to go back to work as a carer.”

CCTV footage showed a man running down Wildbrook Crescent with the bench.

Mandi said she had to save up for the rustic wood bench and personalised bench plaque for a few weeks first.

However, when it finally arrived on August 23, the pair had just six days to enjoy it before it was stolen from their garden.

Mandi added: "I only actually noticed it was missing yesterday morning (Wednesday) as I don’t use the front of my house much as I’m disabled and can only get out and about in my wheelchair through my back garden.

"But CCTV footage from a neighbour on Wildbrook Crescent shows someone running with it on his head at about 7.20pm on Monday.

The bench before it was stolen and destroyed.

"When I noticed it was missing, I was absolutely livid and felt sick to my stomach and then when I was sent the CCTV footage, I felt sad that someone would stoop so low to take a memorial bench which you can clearly see the plaque with my uncle’s name on it.

"We are absolutely heartbroken - Carrie is heartbroken about it.

"My uncle was one of the most genuine gentlemen you could ever meet. 

"He would do absolutely anything for anybody - had a pure heart of gold.

Harry Batty was 78 years old when he lost his battle to cancer.

"I feel whoever has done this has tainted his memory."

In a post online, Mandi had initially appealed for its safe return.

She wrote: "I can't believe some absolute lowlife would stoop so low as to come into our garden and steal our bench that I bought my cousin Carrie in memory of her dad after just recently losing her dad to cancer.

"Might not sound like much, you might think it's just a bench, but it meant something to us.

The bench was then returned to them in pieces.

"If anyone sees or gets offered this bench in Hathershaw or Fitton Hill, please get in touch.

"And to the person that has took it, I hope you get a conscience and bring it back or at least let someone know where you have put it."

Yet to make matters worse, the bench was then returned to its original spot yesterday (Thursday) afternoon smashed to pieces.

The personalised plaque has been removed and has not been returned at all while the main features of the bench's design, such as its wooden wheels, were snapped and broken.

Photographs show the plaque has been removed from the bench and it has not been returned.

Mandi said: "I'm just so mad right now. I'm absolutely heartbroken.

"I'm sick to my stomach that someone would be so cruel.

"I would rather not have had it returned."

A spokesperson for GMP said: “I can confirm the theft on Palmer Close was reported to us this week and no arrests have been made despite an initial investigation.

“If anyone from the public has any information or detail they can share about this incident, please call 101 quoting log number 2223 of the 31/08/22.”