Mum is heartbroken after pendant with dead son’s ashes is lost in the post — and package arrived three weeks late
After Stuart Osborn, 47, died of sepsis, brother Paul, 38, sent the item by recorded delivery to Great Yarmouth
A GRIEVING mum has been left devastated after Royal Mail lost a “cremation pendant” with some of her son’s ashes in.
Paul Osborn, 38, used the recorded delivery service to post the necklace with his late brother Stuart’s remains in to their 69-year-old mum.
But the package went missing. When it was eventually delivered three weeks later, the envelope had been torn open and its precious contents were gone.
Paul said: “My mum is absolutely gutted.
“She was so thrilled to be getting a little bit of Stuart she could keep close to her.
“She’s devastated that it’s gone and it’s even worse not knowing where it is.
“We don’t know if it’s been stolen or if it’s still rattling round in the system somewhere.
“I thought recorded delivery would guarantee it would be safe but Royal Mail have been useless, they didn’t even apologise until after The Sun got involved.
After his funeral we scattered his ashes in the cemetery but my sister Sarah kept some and put them in a pendant shaped like an angel wing
Paul Osborn
“They’ve now sent a bunch of flowers to my mum and sent me a cheque for £50 which is a bit of a joke to be honest.”
Bachelor Stuart, who had no children, died aged 47 of sepsis in 2016.
Paul, a dad of four who runs a house clearance firm, said: “He was living with my mum at the time as he had a lot of underlying health problems.
“He died in his sleep and she found him.
“After his funeral we scattered his ashes in the cemetery but my sister Sarah kept some and put them in a pendant shaped like an angel wing.
“She recently said she’d like mum to have it and I said I’d make sure she got it.”
SENTIMENTAL VALUE
Paul posted it recorded delivery on February 19 from his local post office in Burgess Hill, West Sussex, to his mum’s address 200 miles away in Great Yarmouth.
He wrapped it in two jiffy bags to make sure it would be safe and kept the receipt which states it would be delivered within three working days.
When it failed to arrive at his mum’s he rang Royal Mail and they told him they’d try and track it down but couldn’t find any trace of it.
When the empty, ripped open jiffy bag was finally delivered it had been put in a see-through plastic bag and was shoved through the letter box without the postie asking for a signature.
Paul said the pendant itself was only worth “about 20 quid” adding: “It’s only got sentimental value.
“That’s why we’re so upset. It’s not like you can just go out and buy a new one.
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“I’m furious with Royal Mail because I feel like they just fobbed me off.”
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We deeply regret the unfortunate loss of Mr Osborn’s pendant, and appreciate the irreplaceable nature of this item.
Although losses of this nature are very rare, we take any such loss very seriously. We have launched an internal investigation and have been in touch with the customer directly.”
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