Colchester family report three tributes to baby taken from grave

Sharon Reeve, 52, still makes regular trips to the graveside of her nan and grandad at St Michael’s Church, in Colchester.

She had the ashes of her son, Paul, scattered at the site after the baby’s sudden death in 1990.

Baby Paul was born prematurely at 32 weeks, weighing a tiny 3lbs 2oz, and was three months old by the time Sharon could bring him home.

He died aged six months of sudden infant death syndrome, commonly known as cot death.

Sharon has since moved away from Colchester, living on a houseboat near Rugby, in the Midlands.

Her parents, who live in Colchester, make regular trips to the grave, with a small glass candle-holder inscribed with Paul’s name and date of birth left as a tribute for around 25 years.

On a trip to the grave on December 10 last year, the 31st anniversary of Paul’s death, Sharon’s mum noticed the candle glass was missing.

She replaced it with a second, hand-made, candle glass in February this year, but soon noticed it had vanished too.

A third tribute, a glass bottle candle holder, was left in December, but went missing within two weeks.

Missing - the third and final tribute to Baby Paul to vanish (Image: Newsquest)

Sharon said: “My mum was scared of telling me, she thought it would upset me too much.

“To think someone would be so cruel as to take a child’s memorial.

“My mum spoke to the church to see if they removed it, but was told they hadn’t.

“Someone said it could be foxes, I didn’t think they would be worried about it. It’s been there so long I don’t understand it.

“Even when the graveyard was attacked by young kids and vandalised a few years ago, it never went missing.”

Although Sharon has given up hope of seeing the tributes returned, she hopes to prevent further tributes going missing by speaking out.

St Michael's Church (Image: St Michael's Church)

This Christmas, her daughter gifted her a more permanent tribute to Paul.

“I can’t get there all the time, but he is in my heart. My eldest daughter [had a star named after him] this year as a present,” she said.

“He was always referred to as Baby Paul. I can look up at the sky every night now and know he’s up there.

“The pain never goes away, it’s always there. I will never forget him. I’ve got pictures of him up in the boat, he was a handsome lad.”

'An animal may be responsible'

The Rev Raymond Gibbs, of St Michael’s Church, said the “diocese rulebook” specified no glass on the ground within the churchyard.

He said the graveyard is often occupied by animals, which could be tempted to pick up or move glass items.

“We’ve got deer in there, muntjac in there, if they are glass items they will go for it,” he said.

“It’s why we say no glass in the churchyard.

“It may will be a person who has been taking them, but it could be an animal.

“They see the reflections coming off the glass and they go for it.”

He confirmed he had been contacted by Sharon and said he is sympathetic with her plight.

“It is against the rules to have them there, the diocese rulebook says no glass," he said.

“Glass breaks and then when the grass is mowed it goes off in all directions.

“I’m sympathetic to her, but glass should not be anywhere on the ground, if it is going anywhere, put it on the plinth.”