Carlton Cemetery incident: Man charged with interfering with grave at Yorkshire cemetery after body had to be exhumed

Grace Newton
By Grace Newton
Published 9th Nov 2022, 12:44 BST
A man has been charged with interfering with a grave after a disturbance was noticed at a plot at a cemetery in Barnsley.

Carlton Cemetery was closed for several days in May after a passer-by noticed the unusual activity and police investigated.

The body of the woman buried in the grave, which was the resting place for two members of the same family, had to be exhumed but it was eventually established that nothing had been removed.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

South Yorkshire Police said: “A 43-year-old man has been charged following an incident where a grave was disturbed in a Barnsley cemetery earlier this year.

Each entrance to Carlton Cemetary has been taped off and police are on constant guard following a grave disturbance at the Barnsley graveyardEach entrance to Carlton Cemetary has been taped off and police are on constant guard following a grave disturbance at the Barnsley graveyard
Each entrance to Carlton Cemetary has been taped off and police are on constant guard following a grave disturbance at the Barnsley graveyard

“Wayne Joselyn, formerly of Barnsley but now in HMP Doncaster, has been charged with interference with a grave under Section 25 of the Burial Act 1857, and also with outraging public decency.

“We were called to Carlton Cemetery in Barnsley at about 2.50pm on Monday 2 May following reports from a passer-by that a grave had possibly been disturbed. Working carefully with teams of experts it was determined nothing had been taken from the grave.

“Joselyn has been remanded in custody and will appear before Barnsley Magistrates' Court on Wednesday 16 November.”