Christmas saved for burgled family

A mother-of-four was left devastated after burglars stole her family's Christmas presents during a break-in.

Naomi Todd, 34, and her husband Liam, 35, from Holbrooks, Coventry, were worried they would be unable to replace the gifts after hundreds of pounds of presents they had bought for their children were stolen.

But the family has been able to replace some of the gifts, which included Skylander figures, electronic games and Halo toys, thanks to the help of West Midlands Police and a local toy shop.

Officers from the Coventry police station that responded to the burglary have donated £200 from their tuck shop, while toy shop The Entertainer has also given the family a number of presents.

Mrs Todd said: "I can't thank the police enough for all their help. They have been brilliant along with The Entertainer. We had been buying the presents since September because we couldn't afford to buy them all at once.

"We kept them at my husband's late mother's house in Radford out of the reach of the kids but when I went to collect them last Tuesday I found the back door wide open. It was going to be a hard enough Christmas for the kids as it's the first without their nan as she passed away in March."

Money the family had been putting aside to help pay for the cost of Mr Todd's mother's funeral was also taken during the burglary.

"The thieves stole a substantial amount of money but why did they have to take the presents too? They were still in the carrier bags and it was obvious they were children's toys. They should feel disgusted at themselves for stooping so low," Mrs Todd added.

Police believe the thieves used garden tools to force open the back door of the house in Radford during the break-in, which took place between 3pm on December 16 and 9am on December 18.

Sergeant Richard Markham, from West Midlands Police, which are investigating the burglary, said: "Stealing children's Christmas presents is such a heartless and callous thing for anyone to do. We wanted to try and put a smile back on their faces for Christmas." Anyone with information is asked to contact the police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.