A GRIEVING mum is devastated after a statue was stolen from her baby's grave for the second time.

Mechelle Bradley, from Worcester, was heartbroken to discover that her daughter’s statue in Astwood Cemetery, in Tintern Avenue, has been stolen for the second time in around 12 months.

Mrs Bradley, aged 42, said: “I started crying. I was running up and down the grave trying to find my baby’s statue.

“People do not realise how it makes you feel. My baby girl died, that is bad enough. I do not need people stealing her statue, it is so disrespectful.”

Baby Sanaa, who was born premature at 25 weeks, died almost 16 years ago, on March 15.

Mrs Bradley and her dad, Eric Abbott, visited the grave on Sunday to mark what would have been Sanaa’s 16th birthday, and were horrified to discover that the statue was missing.

The family are planning on replacing the statue when they have sufficient funds.

Mr Abbott will construct metal poles around the statue to reinforce it into the concrete to ensure it will not be removed again.

Mrs Bradley said: “We will do what we can to stop it from being removed again. It had already been stolen before, so to go through all this again is heartbreaking.”

Speaking about baby Sanaa, Mrs Bradley added: “She was born early, her body gave up and everything shut down.”

Mrs Bradley had a stillborn son 18 years ago and his grave is opposite Sanaa’s in Astwood Cemetery. Fortunately, nothing has ever been stolen from his resting place.

Mrs Bradley said: “If anyone saw or heard anything please get in touch. We want our Sanaa’s statue back where it belongs.”

The family originally went to visit Astwood Cemetery on Saturday (February 16). However, when the family arrived at the cemetery the gates were closed, despite the website stating the opening times are 8am to 8pm. Instead, the family decided to return the following day. It is unclear when exactly the theft took place, but Mrs Bradley suspects it was over the last three weeks, after a family member had previously visited.

The mum-of-five reported the theft for the second time to Astwood Cemetery, where they informed her that she will need to contact the police.

The family is pleading for anyone with information on the theft of the statue to come forward. The crime incident number is 0245S 180219.