UK COMPUTERS STOLEN Gift Theft Is Misery For Family (from Redditch Advertiser)

A REDDITCH family had their Christmas ruined after burglars stole all their presents and jewellery belonging to the owner's mother, who recently died.

Sharon Smith, 47, had her house in Foredrift Close burgled on Monday, December 20 and is devastated that the presents for her eight-year-old daughter, who had her birthday last Saturday, were taken.

"I felt sick when I walked into the house. It was a mess and everything was just scattered all over the floor. I just didn't feel safe there," she said.

The burglars broke in while Sharon and her husband were at work and took a television, Nintendo Wii games console, a computer and two laptops as well as other items including Christmas presents of a watch and computer games.

When asked how it would affect the family's Christmas, she said: "What Christmas? We can't afford to replace everything they've taken and we won't be able to get the insurance money in time.

"I've tried to keep my daughter away from it as much as possible.

"We took her to a friend's house the day it happened so she wouldn't have to see it. We spent the whole night cleaning and scrubbing the house before she came back but it still felt dirty.

"I've told her some nasty people have been in the house. It took us a long time to calm her down and she just didn't want to be in her bedroom."

Sharon lost her mother earlier in the year and among the other things taken was jewellery which belonged to her.

"I'm very upset about the jewellery, the televisions you can replace but the sentimental things are more important."

She added: "The police have been ever so helpful. I couldn't have asked for more, they've been over to the house, and they've kept me really well informed."

A police spokesman said that homeowners should be wary of burglars at this time of year and if anyone saw any suspicious people or vehicles in the area at the time of the incident should call Redditch police on 08457 444888 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.