A grief-stricken family have been dealt another blow after their mum's ashes were allegedly stolen by callous crooks who apparently mistook her urn for a bottle of high-end whisky.
Isobel Calderwood's remains were reportedly taken from her son Stephen Burgess' flat, in Paisley, after he was evacuated when a blaze broke out at a neighbouring property.
The criminals allegedly sneaked into the flat in the early hours of Friday, January 20, when Stephen, 37, had temporarily moved in with a friend, the Daily Record reports.
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Isobel died suddenly at the age of 56, last July. Her other son, Gari, 33, said the incident has left the family devastated. The ashes were 'all they had left' of their late mum.
Gari told the Record: "My mum's ashes were sitting on Stephen's living room shelf, it was like a shrine to her and there were photos of her everywhere.
"The urn had stars and a moon on it and we think the intruders thought it was an expensive bottle of whisky because the box was shaped like a bottle tube and had a special design."
He added: "It's really sad that anyone could do this. It's not even been two years since my mum died. She had COPD but her death was still a shock because she was only 56.
“We were going to make my kids necklaces from the ashes. We also planned to spread the rest in Crieff on mum's birthday this year. It was her favourite place. We always went there together for a holiday in summer.
"We are absolutely heartbroken. Our mum was everything to us and this just feels like we are re-living the nightmare of having her taken from us all over again."
Stephen realised his home had been broken into a few days after the nearby fire spread through his block. He was horrified to discover that his flat had been completely trashed, with his TV and other expensive personal items also stolen in the raid.
Gari continued: "Stephen is now waiting to be moved to a new property now because the fire burnt out many of the flats, so he is in a really bad place because of all of this.
"We don't care about any of the other items. We don't need any of them back. We just want our mum's ashes returned."
Cops confirmed they are investigating the incident.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Officers are investigating a report of a housebreaking on Ferguslie, Paisley, which is thought to have happened between Monday, January 30, and Wednesday, February 1, 2023. Enquiries are ongoing."
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "We were alerted at 12.43am on Friday, January 20, to reports of a dwelling fire in Paisley. Operations Control mobilised four appliances to the town's Ferguslie area, where crews worked to extinguish the fire.
"Firefighters left the area at 4am after extinguishing the fire and working to make the area safe. Two casualties suffering from slight smoke inhalation were taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital by paramedics."
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