A Dublin family has been left heartbroken as they discovered through friends and neighbours that a family gravestone was destroyed by thugs in a horrible incident of vandalism.
The headstone on the grave of Edmund 'Eddie' Barry was pulled down in May - just days before his 32nd anniversary.
Edmund was killed in a motorbike accident on 24 May 1987 and he is buried in a small graveyards behind St. Sylvester's primary school off Yellow Walls Road, Dublin Live reports.
A person close to the family told Dublin Live that the destruction of the grave was the "the worst thing imaginable".
They said: "It's devastating news. The lovely white angel headstone was the second grave at the entrance and was known by regular visitors and passersby and now it's gone.
"I couldn't believe it. It's the lowest of the low and it's not cheap to replace a headstone."
The family are hoping that CCTV footage from the nearby school will be able to capture the thugs in action at the plot which belongs to the extended O'Brien family.
They continued: "Anyone who would do something like this to a grave is disturbed. And, for it to be targeted so close to the anniversary is just horrific."
The "isolated incident" was reported to gardai on the 18th of May by family after photos of the damage started circulating online.
"Edmund was such a nice lad. He was a barman in The Grand Hotel in Malahide and was known and loved by so many people. It's just a horrible thing to happen and hopefully whoever has done this will be caught."
Fingal County Council told Dublin Live it has inspected the damage and been in contact with the family.
