Former Ombudsman Arlene Brock says she stands by “every word” of her report on the desecrated tombstones at Tucker’s Town, despite criticism that she wrongly blamed an overseas academic.

Ms Brock wrote in ‘A Grave Error’ that Canadian archaeologist John Triggs adopted the view that the tombs were “false” and “new” without inspecting them and recommended their removal to Marsden First United Methodist Church, the custodian of the cemetery, leading to their destruction in 2012.

Historical researcher LeYoni Junos claimed last week that the accusation was unfair, since Dr Triggs wrote in a report of a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey that he conducted on the site in 2011 that the tombs may have been “original to the cemetery” and, if so, “should be preserved”.

He made similar comments in the footnotes to an article published last year in the Bermuda Journal of Archaeology and Maritime History.

Ms Junos in her letter said she had a question for Dr Triggs. She wrote: “Are you a man or a mouse? All of these people have saddled you with the ‘blame’ for the disgraceful debacle and illegal desecration of one of our national historic protection areas.

“It is now obvious to me, and others, that these people cannot read and owe you (and everyone else) a huge apology.”

Ms Brock responded yesterday, saying: “A recent letter to the editor castigated my characterisation in ‘A Grave Error’ of Dr Triggs’s understanding and recommendations regarding the Tucker’s Town grave site.

“For the record: in addition to thorough examinations of the entire GPR report we held direct, exhaustive telephone interviews and e-mail exchanges with Dr Triggs. The last six of such exchanges aimed at clarifying a couple of inconsistencies in the GPR report.

“Critically, these exchanges sought to nail down precisely the apparent understanding noted early on in the GPR report that grave features were observable in prior aerial photographs versus the recommendations at the end of the GPR report that the ‘false sarcophagi’ be removed and replaced by a ‘dignified lawn’.

“Our reports are written after extensive checking, cross-checking, double-checking and often triple-checking of the facts. If we cannot prove it, we do not write it. Further, all persons mentioned in the report are provided the statutory right to comment on the draft and if they provide evidence that anything is incorrect then we redraft before publishing.

“Given our thorough investigation and analysis of all of the evidence, I unequivocally and emphatically stand by every word in ‘A Grave Error’.”

The graves at Tucker’s Point are the final resting place of an unknown number of mostly black residents who lived at Tucker’s Town from the early 19th century, around the time of Emancipation, onwards.

Marsden Church removed the tombstones to make way for a lawn based mainly, according to Ms Brock, on recommendations from Dr Triggs, who based his view on the conclusions of local archaeologist Edward Harris.

Both Dr Triggs and Dr Harris have declined to comment.