HEARTLESS vandals have stolen one of very few remaining pictures of a baby boy from his gravestone at Torrisholme Cemetery.

Benjamin Richard Knight was diagnosed with Halls-Pallister syndrome before his birth five years ago and lived for just three months.

For most of his short life, Benjamin was undergoing intense treatment, but nurses were able to take a handful of photographs of him without wires or tubes in his body.

His parents agonised over whether to have a picture embossed in the headstone at Torrisholme Cemetery, but learned at the weekend that the picture had been torn out of the stone and taken between Sunday, September 29 and October 13.

Benjamin's father, Mark, said: "We had a traumatic time for three months, travelling down to Manchester twice a day but, on one day, which happened to be my birthday, he had no tubes or wires in him and had his eyes fully open.

"The nurses were able to take a few photographs with a Polaroid camera they use in the ward.

Unfortunately, his condition became worse and we lost him after three months.

"When we buried him, we had to consider whether to give up our last photographs of him to the stonemason.

"I can't understand the mentality of people who do things like this.

To him it might be a joke, but to us it is of great sentimental value."

Det Sgt Mark Salisbury, of Lancaster police, said: "The photograph was embedded in the gravestone itself, the thieves have gone to some efforts to get the photo out.

"The family has a very limited number of photographs of the child and is eager to have the picture back.

The stolen property is of absolutely no value to anyone except the parents of the child who died and it is hoped that it can be returned."

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Lancaster police on 01524 63333.