AN ARTIST who was asked to do a drawing for a charity was told not to attend the group’s Christmas fair after they discovered his work was ‘sinister’.

It took Paul Caton ten days to finish his drawing of Hoyland Lowe Stand for the friends’ group which is trying to raise money to save the monument.

Paul, originally from Hoyland, had been approached by some group members and asked to do the drawing. They wanted to reproduce it and sell it to raise funds, including some at last Saturday’s Christmas fair.

But the plan was scrapped because members of the group’s committee became concerned when it realised Paul had ‘moved’ the graveyard near the Lowe Stand to the centre of the picture.

Members checked Paul’s website and were disturbed by what they found. The most disturbing picture – called ‘Orphan Trains’ – features two hoodie-wearing youths walking a toddler along a railway line, said Friends’ secretary Allan Wood.

“Straight away I said that’s just like the Bulger case and that upset me. He’s a really talented artist and that drawing of the Lowe Stand took ten days but we don’t want to be seen to be supporting something of that nature.”

Full story in all editions of the Chronicle, Friday, December 3.