Residents of an Australian town are furious after more than 100 headstones in a cemetery were allegedly vandalised by three local teenagers.
Police say the vandalism occurred at the Toowoomba-Drayton Cemetery in south-east Queensland between Friday night and Saturday morning.
Two 15-year-olds and one 17-year-old were tried under the Juvenile Justice Act.
Toowoomba Regional Council member Tim McMahon took to social media on Monday to say he had visited the cemetery to see the destruction for himself and joined the mayor and other council members in “publicly condemning it”.
“On a quick walk, everywhere I looked there were a few deliberately destroyed graves,” he said.
“If you’re the person who’s so angry at society that this seemed like a good idea, there are plenty of other ways to vent your frustration.”
David Janetzki, Queensland state MP and shadow treasurer, said: “There are no words, but if there were, all that could be said is that you can’t go lower than the desecration of a grave.”
Those who commented on the politician’s post agreed.
More than 100 graves were allegedly vandalised by three teenagers in Toowoomba (pictured)
Police said the two 15-year-olds and a 17-year-old were arrested under the Juvenile Justice Act.
“This is a scandalous act. Those responsible should make amends for their vandalism. Hard manual work should be brought to justice again,” said one of them.
“How disrespectful,” said another.
One commenter said “her sister’s grave was completed last week and was completely vandalized.”
“Absolutely heartbreaking, especially for my nieces who travel from Perth to visit her.”
Many tombstones were destroyed and will be expensive to repair (pictured)
A fourth said: “We’ve been doing a lot of research into Drayton’s history and visiting the graves of our pioneers.”
“The gravestones are a great source of information and give us a feeling of admiration for these brave families who founded our city and the Darling Downs. What a travesty!”
Council officers, bricklayers and volunteers are working on the repairs which are expected to take months.