The pair smashed their way in by breaking a door and ransacked the place, taking envelopes containing jewellery, cash and other personal items waiting to be returned to grieving families. But they tripped a silent alarm and were caught by police as they attempted to flee the scene, discarding the envelopes as they ran off at about 8pm on June 29.
One of the youths, from Gosport, was also breaking a curfew order from a previous conviction by being out at that time. He broke down in tears as he was given a four- month sentence at Fareham Youth Court by district judge Anne Arnold for his part in the burglary.
District Judge Arnold, sentencing him, said: 'You are quite frankly a despicable person for being involved in these burglaries' The other youth, also 16 and from Gosport, has pleaded guilty to burglary and is awaiting sentence at a later date.
David Boden, Crosslands'owner, said: 'They climbed over the garden wall and came in through the preparation room – fortunately there was nothing out at the time. 'They came through the mortuary area, through the chapels of rest, through the flower shop, and kicked through a door into the reception area and into the offices. You could see they were grabbing anything they could as they went, pulling drawers out and tipping everything on the floor. They made a real mess. I can't praise the police enough.
'They were on the scene very swiftly, and the officers were appalled that someone had broken into a funeral home. We've been in Gosport for 152 years and this is the first time anything like this has happened. It really unnerved everyone who works here. These youngsters have got no moral standards – you just don't know where it's going to end.'
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