A TEENAGER who committed the "grotesque and gruesome" crime of cutting the mummified head from a corpse could be asked to clean up graveyards after escaping a jail sentence yesterday.

Sonny Devlin, 17, was put on probation for three years and ordered to perform 200 hours of unpaid community work for the incident in Edinburgh’s historic Greyfriars kirkyard when he played with the head like a ventriloquist’s dummy. The judge, Lord Wheatley, told him: "You will understand perfectly well that vandalism and violation of graveyards is something which causes universal disgust and revulsion. I trust the [community] work might be directed to the benefit of those affected by your behaviour."

Devlin, of East Claremont Street, Edinburgh, and a 15-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were convicted at an earlier trial of the ancient offence of "violation of a sepulchre". The youth was given two years’ probation.

On 30 June last year, a group of teenagers went to the cemetery and the two accused entered the Mackenzie Mausoleum after Devlin kicked open the wooden doors, causing £10,000 of damage.

As the youth kept watch, Devlin went into an underground burial chamber and used a knife to cut the head from a body in a coffin. He carried it into the cemetery and chased after his friends. He put his fist into the neck "like a puppet", held the head up and pretended it was talking to him.

The mausoleum is named after Sir George Mackenzie, who was King’s Advocate to Charles II. His zeal in prosecuting Covenanters earned him the nickname the "Bloody Mackenzie". He died in 1691.

The burial chamber contained four coffins, and there were a number of loose skulls and bones in a storage area.

In centuries gone by, the charge of violating a sepulchre had been used when graves were robbed to get bodies for medical research.

Yesterday, James Stephenson, solicitor-advocate for Devlin, said there was evidence that other youths, a group of "Goths", had been in the mausoleum earlier that night and had forced open the coffin.

Mr Stephenson said Devlin had been described as immature in background reports, which also expressed concern about the effect a custodial sentence would have on him.

"He is aware of the serious nature of the offence and has shown some regret for his involvement. Clearly, alcohol played some role in this offence," he added.

Richard Goddard, solicitor-advocate for the youth, said the incident had been motivated by "immature and drunken bravado more than anything sinister".

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