A dad has hit out at thieves who stole a plaque in memory of his son which was on a bridge over the River Trent.
Mark Corley died at the age of 23 after going missing from his home in Grantham in June 2000.
A murder investigation was launched when his body was discovered six months later in Darlington, with a gunshot wound to the back of the head.
But the case was thrown out after it emerged police had bugged conversations between the defendants and their solicitors unlawfully in the exercise yards outside Sleaford and Grantham police stations.
Mark's dad Tony, 68, who lives in West Bridgford, put a plaque up three years ago on the Wilford Suspension Bridge in his son's memory and often visited it to bring him "comfort".
That is, until just over a week ago, when he discovered the plaque was no longer there.
He told Nottinghamshire Live: "I took a stroll over there and as I walked up to it I thought 'it's gone'. It just bought back memories of what happened, honestly.
"I couldn't believe it - how can somebody do that? That, for me, is the lowest of the low. When I walked away, I wasn't even angry, I was just totally deflated.
"It's just gobsmacking. It's so upsetting."
This isn't the first time he has had something put up in memory of Mark stolen. Tony planted an oak tree back in 2010 next to the Thornton Reservoir in Leicestershire, where the pair used to go fishing together.
But, in Spring 2019, he visited the site to discover the tree has been completely uprooted and was no longer there. He says the latest incident means he won't be putting up anything else in Mark's memory.
He continued: "I don't think I will be able to put another one up. I don't think I can do it anymore.
"It was just something that comforted me and it's sad in this day and age that this can happen.
"I'd sooner just leave it now and not put another one out. I have contacted the council and they told me they haven't removed it, so it's likely been nicked by somebody."
Tony has started a support group after Mark's death to support parents, family or friends whose child has been murdered or killed in tragic circumstances.
He has also written a book, More Questions Than Answers, about the murder.
