A bench that was set up in memory of a Royal Marine who took his own life has been removed from where his ashes were scattered.
The family of Royal Marine Corporal Tony Sutcliffe has been left heartbroken after a bench set up in his memory in Baildon Moor, Yorkshire was removed by Bradford Council.
Corporal Sutcliffe, who spent 12 years in the armed forces, took his own life after battling PTSD for years in 2019.
His family designed a special Remembrance bench to be placed where his ashes had been scattered on Baildon Moor, West Yorkshire, in 2021.
Council leaves family heartbroken as memorial bench for Royal Marine removed
Scotty's Little Soldiers/WikiCommons
A petition was set up calling for the bench to stay on Baildon Moor, which received almost 4,000 signatures.
However supporters claim the council 'took it down and dumped it in a yard' in response to just six complaints.
The bench itself has been moved to Shroggs social and snooker club, formerly The Baildon Soldiers, Sailors, & Airmans' Association in Baildon.
GB News has contacted Bradford Council for a comment.
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Tony with Lyra
Scotty's Little Soldiers
Tony left behind his widow, Kate and his daughter, Lyra, who was seven at the time.
Kate, 41, said: "Tony had been suffering with PTSD for many years since leaving the military but struggled to open up about it. He had so much built-up anger from the tours he did and suffered severe survivor's guilt after a friend and colleague died in action whilst he was away in Dubai.
"The PTSD caused terrible night terrors which continually disturbed his sleep. In the end, it all got too much, and on the 12th of April 2019, he took his own life at home."
"The pain we felt in the following months after Tony's passing was indescribable. Lyra was such a daddy's girl, so to imagine them never together again was absolutely heartbreaking."
Lyra next to a memorial tree for her father
Scotty's Little Soldiers
Tony's brother David Sutcliffe, 44, who arranged the tribute, previously said: "I put it up there for my brother.
"He was in the military for 12 years, and he made me promise that if anything ever happened to him, I'd scatter his ashes there and put something there to remember him by.
"I asked for permission from the Council, but never really got anywhere, so we took it into our own hands."
Kate added: "On the whole Lyra has coped okay, which I'm so proud of her for, but she does sometimes suffer from night terrors and is hyper aware of me doing anything dangerous, for the fear of losing me as well."
