Mother left heartbroken after son's memorial bench is vandalized

A woman has expressed deep sorrow after a memorial bench dedicated to her late son was destroyed. Sue Dook, 56, from Scunthorpe, had purchased the bench to commemorate her son Mathew Dook, who passed away at the age of 19 in 2013.

The bench, which had been installed in Central Park, was discovered to have been vandalised after someone informed Ms Dook. She described her feelings: "I'm heartbroken, angry, and devastated. It feels like losing him all over again. You begin to heal, and then someone shatters that progress. We are all in shock and cant understand why this happened."

Ms Dook confirmed that the bench was beyond repair. Mathew had died from diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a serious complication of diabetes caused by a lack of insulin. She recalled: "He lived with diabetes for many years, and we tragically lost him."

The bench had been purchased in 2023 to mark what would have been Mathews 30th birthday. It was intentionally placed in Central Park so that he could overlook areas significant to his life, including the playgroup he used to pick up his brother from, his grandparents' home, a local pub, and his favorite car spots. Ms Dook added that Mathew had spent much of his childhood in the park with his grandparents.

The destruction of the bench was first brought to Ms Dooks attention via a social media message. She expressed confusion over the act of vandalism: "Matt was such a wonderful child. I used to sit here and talk to him. We just dont understand why anyone would do this."

Following the incident, a friend of Mathews created a crowdfunding page to raise money for a replacement bench. Ms Dook encouraged anyone with information to come forward.

Humberside Police stated that they are investigating the criminal damage, which is believed to have occurred between 29 November and 1 December 2025. Authorities are asking anyone with information or CCTV footage to contact them.

Author: Benjamin Carter