THE family of a young man who died in 1998 are petitioning to reclaim the gravesite next to him where his paedophile father is set to be buried.

Stephen Wilcock, from Blackburn, was 18 when he died suddenly from an unknown heart issue in 1998.

His father, Kevin Harrison, bought the burial plot at Pleasington Cemetery and also the plot next to it to be buried in himself.

Harrison was recently jailed for two years for arranging and facilitating the commission of a child sex offence and publishing an obscene article.

Stephen’s sister, Bethany Jackson, with whom they share a mother, is now campaigning for the rights of the burial spot next to her brother 24 years on to stop the paedophile from being buried next to Stephen.

Lancashire Telegraph: Stephen Wilcock, from Blackburn, died unexpectedly, aged 18Stephen Wilcock, from Blackburn, died unexpectedly, aged 18

Bethany said: “We do not want this sex offender being buried with our brother.

“Mum always said to us to never worry and ignore him and to think of it as just Stephen's garden and not Kevin's, but how could we do that now with knowing about his vile actions as a paedophile?

“It is a serious concern we have, while we were arguing to take the deeds back, he never referred to it as Stephen’s grave, only his.

“My eight-year-old son goes there and cleans his uncle's grave. How can I do that if there is a paedophile there?”

In April at Preston Crown Court, Kevin Harrison, 70, was convicted as a child sex offender after arranging with an accomplice to meet up and go to Daisyfield’s swimming pool in Blackburn where they would "turn boys gay".

Read more: Pensioner jailed after plotting to 'turn boys gay' at a swimming pool

Harrison was put on the sexual offence register for life and was jailed for two years by Judge Simon Medland QC.

Following this, Bethany has launched a campaign to gain the rights to the plot as she does not want to take her children to the site when Harrison is buried there, with further fears that the grave area may be vandalised due to what has been brought to light.

At the time of Stephen's death, their mother Linda Hogg could not afford to pay for the funeral due to working part-time, so Harrison came forward and bought the two plots.

Lancashire Telegraph: Kevin Harrison was hailed for two years after plotting to 'turn boys gay' at Daisyfield's swimming poolKevin Harrison was hailed for two years after plotting to 'turn boys gay' at Daisyfield's swimming pool

In 2017, Linda was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and Bethany and her brother say they met with Harrison in a bid to acquire the plot for their mother to be buried with her son.

They said that their attempts failed and Linda sent a letter herself and Harrison offered for her to be cremated and buried on the plot, however Linda and her new husband, Bethany’s father, did not want this.

The family say they continued to try and convince Harrison but sadly Linda sadly died in April, just after the news of Harrison’s offending came to light, and she was buried in the same cemetery with her brother.

Bethany added: “Had we have ever known this while mum was able to, she would have fought this as much as she could.

“I know she wouldn’t let this drop, so I won’t. If we have exhumed his body and put him with my mum, we will but even then, I won’t stop.

“I don’t want another family to go through this.”

Bethany said even if they manage to get the deeds, they will leave the grave next to Stephen empty.

However, due to the difficulties they have faced, they are currently looking into filing an application to exhume his body so he can be buried with his mother.