REPORTING acts of vandalism is never anything but unpleasant. The fleeting pleasures the deed gives to the vandal are baffling to most people but occasionally an act of destruction is so unspeakably vile that it defies any attempt to understand the mentality of the perpetrators and transcends even society's normal strong feelings of sympathy for the victim.

Such an act is the deliberate breaking of a tree set up in memory of Rochelle Cauvet a young girl who was swept away and drowned in Stainforth Beck while on a school trip.

It is unlikely that, in the depths of January, the blame lies at the door of a visitor to the area. The culprits are probably from within our own community and suspicions have been directed that way.

The grief of the parents of this poor girl has been terrible. What little comfort they could draw from returning to a peaceful corner of the Dales to remember their child has been cruelly snatched away.

Our question to the person or persons responsible is simple: Why? Perhaps if we planted a tree somewhere we could invite you to destroy it and witness the pleasure you derive. Does it last long? Does it make you laugh, or is the sort of pleasure you probably derive from pulling the wings off a butterfly?

We really do want to know and understand. We want to articulate your feelings to the wider community so perhaps they too can begin to fathom your inadequacies.

So the offer is open. Contact us, we'll find a tree and then let you loose to explain your feelings. Perhaps then our disgust may diminish. But we doubt it.