The family of a woman whose body was stolen from a graveyard have received hate mail from animal rights extremists claiming to be in possession of her remains. Staffordshire Police confirmed that the letters had been sent to the Hall family, who breed guinea pigs for medical research at Darley Oaks Farm in New-church, near Burton-upon- Trent, Staffordshire. The force revealed last week that the body of 82-year-old Gladys Hammond - the mother-in-law of Chris Hall - had been taken from her burial plot in nearby Yoxall. A Staffordshire Police spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that several threatening letters have been sent to the Hall family and people connected to them. "These are similar in content to previous malicious and intimidating letters the family has received from animal rights extremists. The writer states that they have the remains of Mrs Hammond." Officers said they were unable to verify the claim from the content of the letters, but added they were being tested and analysed for evidence by forensic specialists. "At this early stage we cannot positively link the letters to the desecration of Mrs Hammond's grave," the spokeswoman added. She said that in the last 12 months an inquiry had been launched into the source of other malicious letters sent to the family. "We have had some success in investigating them as two people were cautioned," she said. Detective Chief Inspector Nick Baker, the senior investigating officer, said: "We deplore the actions of those who have sent these letters. "I would urge anyone who knows who the perpetrators are to contact us." Home Secretary David Blunkett yesterday condemned the desecration of the grave. Mr Blunkett told the Commons: "I think the House would want all of us to join together in condemning the bestial extremists who desecrated a grave in Staffordshire and to send our sympathy to the family. "We have the strongest licensing laws in this area in the world, we now need the strongest action." | 
