POLICE are searching for four teenagers who allegedly damaged several grave sites at Toronto Cemetery, before turning on a witness.
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Lake Macquarie Policing District Acting Inspector Paul Battley said four boys believed to be around 15 years old were allegedly seen at the cemetery on Awaba Road in Toronto West just before 6pm on Saturday.
He alleged they were “vandalising the cemetery for no apparent reason, smashing headstones with an iron bar and pulling plants and flowers out and throwing them around”.
“A witness has approached them and they have turned on her,” he said.
“We were called but they had left by the time we got there.
“We are checking CCTV and we ask if anyone has got any information to come forward.”
Acting Inspector Battley said he understood “most” of the headstones had been damaged.
A NSW Police spokesperson said a large number of ceramic angels and statues had also been smashed and pot plants and statues thrown on graves.
Inspector Battley described the crime as “distasteful”.
“This is a place of meaning for a lot of loved ones and it’s senseless to cause this damage unnecessarily.”
A resident who declined to be named and whose loved ones’ graves were vandalised said the experience had been “very distressing”.
“So many families have been affected, local and away,” she said.
“The community response this morning has been incredible, I spent two hours cleaning graves at the cemetery this morning with people who were also affected, cleaning the graves of people we don't know.
“But as a community we come together when something so terrible has affected us all.
“We all just hope the people responsible are held responsible and the courts impose consequences such as listening to how this has emotionally affected families.”
Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000.