A GRIEVING daughter returned home from hospital following the death of her father to discover that her house had been ransacked by burglars.

Margaret Lawton had spent days at Whiston Hospital where her father Kenneth eventually died from a respiratory illness aged 70 on Tuesday, January 28.

The 33-year-old, of Hope Street in Newton-le-Willows, was devastated to find her back door had been smashed in by crooks who had rooted through her belongings.

Margaret said: “All the smaller things like an iPod, iPad, DVDs and laptop had been stolen.

“My mum died 10 years ago and they had taken her jewellery.

“They even took half bottles of perfume – but they didn’t take the TV.

“It seemed to be anything they could grab.

“I also had a set of knives and they picked one up which was later found in the back garden.

“Possibly they were expecting someone to be in the house.

“I think that the house was being watched.

“After the burglary I felt that the house was cold and miserable.

“Part of me wanted to stay home and just look at pictures of my dad and another part wanted to crawl away somewhere warm.

“With everything that has happened I haven’t even looked properly through the spare bedroom.

“This is bad enough to happen to anyone but to steal from someone going through this is terrible.”

A police spokesperson said that extensive enquiries are underway and detectives are in regular contact with Ms Lawton.

He said that she had registered her stolen goods on the website immobilise.com meaning that items listed can be easily and quickly traced by police.

House-to-house enquiries have been carried out and CCTV footage of the area is being investigated.

Thanks to a special ‘app’ on her stolen iPhone, police were able to trace it to a pawn shop in Manchester.

However, despite further enquiries, it is still to be tracked down.

Detective Constable Roy Waller, from St Helens CID burglary and robbery unit, said: “This was a horrendous thing to happen to this lady, especially at such a difficult time.

“They have stolen some very distinctive items, including a bright red glossy Acer laptop with a Ferrari design on it, and a black iPad mini, inside a lime green case.

“We believe these items may have already been sold on and I would urge anyone who has been offered them for sale in suspicious circumstances, to call me on 0151 777 6038 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”