City Removes 4-Year-Old Boy’s Headstone Without Informing Mother, Insists It’s ‘Inappropriate’

One mother is completely outraged over the city council’s decision to remove her 4-year-old son’s headstone from the cemetery where he’s buried. According to the Daily Mail, Jo Corbett-Weeks worked hard to save $4,580 for a custom designed headstone after her son, Maximus Corbett-Gardener, died due to complications of severe epilepsy. The exquisite headstone featured a grey teddy bear holding a black star with an engraved tribute commemorating the little boy’s legacy.

The headstone was reportedly constructed for the little boy’s seventh birthday as a personalized gift from his mother. But, unfortunately, three days later, the city council removed the headstone from the cemetery after receiving a complaint. An unnamed family submitted the complaint to the Malvern Town Council, and the headstone was immediately removed. Corbett-Weeks is now demanding to know why she was not informed of the removal, according to Opposing Views.

“I chose a star-shaped stone because I wanted something suitable for Max — something personal. This stone is just so perfect for my poor little chap. I was totally unaware this was going on. The council did not contact me and it was the stonemason who told me he’d been ordered to remove it. I feel upset, distressed, and angry. We have been through so much as a family. I could understand if the grave was un-cared for or unsightly, but it isn’t. The headstone meant a lot to me and the family but now we are fighting to have it put back. It’s a horrible situation. We just want to have somewhere to grieve.”

A Malvern Town Council spokesman has released a detailed statement to BBC News explaining why the decision was ultimately made. Apparently, the headstone did not coincide with the cemetery’s shape regulations. However, the spokesman did state that it was more a matter of enforcing rules without exemptions.

“We have a conformity of shapes in our lawn cemetery. We were contacted by people who objected to the shape,” the spokesperson explained. “The longer it stayed up, the harder the process would have been. It was a very difficult decision to remove it but one we had to make straight away,” the spokesman said. “It wasn’t necessarily an objection to the shape but why we appeared to be applying one rule to one family and other rules to another,” the spokesman continued. “The stonemason in this situation did not have permission to put the stone up — and the stone is not in keeping with the graves in that area. By not following the correct process, he has caused considerable distress to both families.”

Do you think the 4-year-old boy’s headstone should have been removed? Share your thoughts.

[Image via YouTube Screen Capture]