Burglars ransack grieving widow's home during husband's funeral in Sheffield

Sylvia Barlow was paying her final respects to her husband Peter when thieves smashed their way into her home on Kilvington Road, on the Woodthorpe estate, and stole jewellery he had bought for her.

Her son Andrew Smart is determined to catch the 'scum' responsible, who he is convinced targeted the house knowing the family were at a funeral.

He says the shock and the loss of such sentimental items has plunged his 68-year-old mother, who was recently in hospital with the severe lung condition COPD, into even greater heartbreak.

"How could anyone be so rotten as to do this on someone's funeral day? Whoever did this is scum and wants stringing up," he said.

"We think they knew the funeral was happening so the property would be empty.

"It's been a horrific couple of weeks and this has really knocked mum down."

The break-in happened on Wednesday, at some point between 2.30pm and 8.30pm, during Mr Barlow's funeral at City Road Cemetery and his wake at The Ball Inn, in Intake.

After smashing a back window to gain entry, the burglars stole three rings, some earrings and two bracelets, one of which held special sentimental value for Mrs Barlow as her husband had bought it for her while they were on holiday in Turkey. They also took a cream coloured Russell Hobbs toaster and a Vax vacuum cleaner.

Mr Smart, who has been living with his mother since his step-father's death, believes the intruders were interrupted when the family returned, as two wardrobes upstairs had been ransacked but a third was untouched.

Peter Barlow was diagnosed with cancer in May and died on October 24, aged 68.

Anyone with information about the burglary is asked to call police on 101, quoting incident number 111 of November 8.