Raymond Paulo, who is mourning the loss of his 20-year-old son Vincent, was aghast to see that local authorities had used black plastic to conceal the back of his child's headstone.
In an effort to hide song titles written by rapper, Big Sean, which were engraved on the father-of-one's memorial, the council attached a makeshift covering without seeking consent from the deceased's relatives.
Justifying the move, local authorities assert they made the decision based on a request made by a another grieving family visiting a nearby grave.
Vincent, who died by suicide in 2014, was a rap enthusiast and the lyrics of those particular tracks were said to be of great importance to him and his family.
"On the headstone, the top part is Vincent's gaming name tag and the rest are songs that meant something to Vincent, myself and his brothers, explained Raymond, while speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Slamming the council's decision to conceal his son's memorial because it displayed the word 'f**k', Raymond said: "I felt a hurt and pain that broke me. We were healing as we now had a place to remember Vincent, but PNCC management didn't think of our grief."
When asked to comment on the questionable move, Palmerston North County Council manager John Brenkley agreed that prior consent had been given for the inscription, saying: "One of the song titles contained an expletive word. The Council approved the design as the family had blanked out part of the expletive included in the inscription."
Insisting the move was merely a temporary measure done in order to placate the aforementioned family, the council have asserted that they intend to rectify the situation.
"We apologise for any distress. We are talking with both families to resolve the issue," continued John who went on to confirm that should any permanent changes be made to Vincent's inscription, it will be done at Council expense.
Vincent is buried in the city's Kelvin Grove cemetery.
