The mum of a “beautiful” teenager who died in an accident feels “numb” after vandals repeatedly targeted her daughter’s memorial bench.
Emily Set, a former pupil at Langton Girls in Canterbury and Folkestone College, dreamed of travelling and enjoyed art, music and festivals before her sudden death.
Many of the 18-year-old’s loved ones could not attend her funeral due to Covid restrictions so, in tribute, friends launched a GoFundMe to pay for a bench in the Church of St Mary de Castro’s garden in Canterbury.
But the memorial has been vandalised multiple times over the past 18 months, with the most recent incident happening on Friday.
Emily’s mum Rebecca Set says it was the third time the bench had been damaged.
“This time, the top bar with the plaque on it has come off, so either someone has pulled it off or sat on the back of it and broken it,” the 53-year-old said.
“It has been vandalised twice – the first time, they removed all the bolts from the legs, so the whole thing kept falling over, and somebody removed all the bolts from it the second time.
“The council had to repair it before and it is just ridiculous.”
Emily, who lived in Rough Common, died in the early hours of November 28, 2020, after taking a fatal combination of drugs.
Since then, Mrs Set launched a bereavement group to help other mums impacted by the death of a child.
But as she continues to mourn the loss of her daughter, vandals have contributed to her distress.
“The first time, I was upset by it and it was really dangerous as if somebody had sat on it, the whole thing would have snapped,” she added.
“I felt sick and hurt.
“The second time, I thought it was quite stupid and somebody had got bored so started unscrewing the bolts.”
Emily’s friends frequently visit the bench and Mrs Set goes there about once a week.
It is not the first time vandals have targeted a memorial for her daughter.
Emily’s grieving young friends created a woodland tribute to the teenager, who was passionate about the natural world.
They were horrified to find it trashed by vandals, who had smashed candles and caused a fire that destroyed part of the memorial.
One friend branded the act “inexcusable”, explaining the riverside spot at Toddlers Cove as “just as important and meaningful as a gravestone”.
Speaking about the most recent vandalism, Mrs Set said: “It does feel like they are targeting it on purpose which is quite hurtful really.
“When I was sent a picture of it this time, I thought, ‘It’s just idiots again’, and I felt numb.”
In a glowing tribute to her daughter, Mrs Set described her as “beautiful” and says her daughter “always wanted everyone to have a good time”.
“She was shy as a child but as she grew up, she seemed to have lots of friends so there was an outpouring of love after she died,” she added.
“Emily loved art, music and going to festivals.
“She loved messing around with her mates and having parties around campfires.
“She had a silly sense of humour, found the funny side of most things and just wanted to be happy.”
Mrs Set has reported the vandalism to Canterbury City Council which is responsible for repairing the bench.
