A heartbroken Chester mum is devastated after thieves ransacked her home and stole presents she had bought for her baby’s first birthday and Christmas.
Jessica Harris, 18, had been saving up all year to make sure her daughter Princess Scarlett-Elise’s first birthday and festive season would be special.
She bought and wrapped more than £500 worth of presents and left the majority of them under the Christmas tree at her home on Stamford Road in Blacon.
But after popping round to see her family for an hour on Tuesday evening, Jessica was horrified to return home to find thieves had climbed in through an open window and raided her home, taking most of the presents she had so carefully chosen for little Princess.
Among the items taken were a £300 white 32-inch TV, £110 in cash, £200 worth of toys and various clothes.
Jessica, who lives alone with her daughter, said she was ‘heartbroken’ after the callous thieves ruined preparations for her daughter’s first birthday, which falls on Christmas Eve.
“I couldn’t believe it when I got back – they had been in every room of the house – it was just such a mess,” she said.
“The first I saw of it was the coin box I keep behind my TV was gone. Then I saw that most of the presents that had been stacked up by the wall were gone.
“They had been through my underwear drawer and even poured fabric conditioner over the floor to get rid of footprints.”
Jessica added: “It’s just heartbreaking because of how much I’ve saved to make it a nice Christmas for my daughter.
“It was either decorate the living room or have a special Christmas and I chose Christmas. Now with a week to go, there’s just no way I’m going to be able to afford to buy more.
“I can’t settle at night now. I keep walking around to make sure all my windows and doors are all locked – I’m paranoid.
“But I just desperately want to get this out there to warn people to make sure their homes are safe so this doesn’t happen again.”
A Cheshire police spokesperson said: “Anyone with information about this incident should contact Chester Outer Neighbourhood Policing Unit on 101 quoting incident number 821 of 17 December or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”