Sheffield police slam Kelly Brewster memorial bench attack as ‘mindless act of vandalism’

The bench, dedicated to 32-year-old Kelly Brewster, who was killed in the Manchester Arena bomb attack in 2017, was destroyed on Saturday.

It was placed outside Arbourthorne Social Centre on East Bank Road in Arbourthorne, where Kelly lived, after the terror attack.

South Yorkshire Police has described Saturday’s fire as a ‘mindless act of vandalism’.

An investigation to find the culprit or group responsible is under way but no arrests have yet been made.

The arson attack has caused outrage in Arbourthorne and across Sheffield.

Kelly, her sister and niece were at an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena when a bomb was detonated, killing 22 people.

Over £53,000 was raised in Kelly’s memory in the wake of her death.

Colleagues at insurance firm Aviva, where Kelly worked for seven years, set a target of raising £50,000 for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, which was chosen by Kelly’s family, by organising events including a 100-mile cycling challenge.

The hospital was chosen as a thank you for the care offered to Kelly’s niece, Holly Booth, who was injured in the bombing.

Hashem Abedi, 24, was jailed for at least 55 years for helping his brother, suicide bomber Salman Abedi, plan the terror attack.

Anyone with information about the fire should call South Yorkshire Police on 101 and quote incident number 716 of March 6.

Crimestoppers can also be contacted, anonymously, on 0800 0555111

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