UK COMPUTER STOLEN Daughters Emotional Plea For Mums Stolen Ring (from This is Hampshire)

A SOUTHAMPTON woman has appealed for a thief to return a that belonged to her late mother.

Thieves broke into Linda Mitchell's home stealing the opal ring along with £9,000 worth of jewellery and computer equipment.

The break-in happened at her home in Claremont Crescent in Millbrook while Linda and her husband Philip were away visiting family.

Grandmother Linda Mitchell, 55, a donor care supervisor at Southampton General Hospital, said: "It was my mother's and she is not with us anymore. The ring was a link to her as she used to wear it every day.

"I want to string those up who are responsible. I'm very upset as it's irreplaceable. The other things I bought with my husband over the years we can replace but I would like the ring back. It would be nice for it to be returned but I'm realistic and don't think I will see it again."

The offender broke into the address through the upstairs window using a pitchfork taken from the garden shed between 1.30pm and 6.45pm.

Once inside, thieves stole jewellery worth several thousand pounds including a Colombian emerald ring and the opal ring which is worth £2219.

A Hewlett Packard laptop, camera equipment and Canon printer costing several thousands pounds were also stolen along with family photographs that were stored on the computer.

A number of bags from the home were used to carry the stolen equipment from the address in the break-in last Sunday.

Police are urging anyone with any information to contact PC Howard Broadribb of the Southampton Burglary Investigation Team on 023 8059 9997 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

2:00pm Sunday 11th November 2007