Cruel burglar wrecks ill child's Christmas

Mason Gardiner, aged six, a pupil at King Offa Primary School, had gone to the Royal Marsden Hospital in London with his mother, Lisa, on Tuesday this week to undergo chemotherapy.

Mason suffers from Langerham Cell Hystiolcytosis, which causes painful bone swelling and lesions to the skin and scalp. It is caused by abnormal cells deriving from bone marrow and is so rare that it affects just one in 200,000 children under 10.

Lisa, 40, who also has two teenaged children, Daniella and Greg, and a 12-year-old, Brandon, said: “It just seems so cruel that he has had so much to deal with because of his illness, and now the Nintendo 3DS game console I’d saved up £170 to buy him for Christmas has been stolen.

“I don’t know if or how I’ll manage to buy another one before Christmas Day, and Mason is heartbroken because he found out about the burglary when the police came to the flat to look for forensic evidence.”

She added: “My daughter and I had wrapped the kids’ presents and put them in a cupboard out of sight. But the thief found them and ripped them open to see what was inside before stealing Mason’s Nintendo.

“It’s just sick, and I’m gutted that someone could be so mean as to steal from children, even if they didn’t know about Mason’s illness. That just makes it worse and whoever did this is scum - an utter low-life.”

Mason’s condition has caused one of his vertebrae to collapse and Lisa has to act as his full-time carer because he needs regular help and attention, even though he tries to lead as normal a life as possible.

It is thought the burglar may have watched the flat at Fernleigh Court, Salisbury Avenue, to discover when it would be empty, and then gained entry through a kitchen window before ransacking the carefully-wrapped presents to see what was of most value.

Lisa said: “At first when we got back we didn’t realise what had happened, although I thought it was a bit odd that the cupboard door was ajar. The curtain was over the kitchen window and it was only when I saw a footprint on the sill that it suddenly dawned someone had been in here.”

Detectives are now trying to trace the intruder, who may have been a youth, about six feet tall and well-built with dark hair, who was seen hanging around the flats. Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or use the Crimestoppers linkline, 0800 555111.

PICTURED: Lisa with one of the presents the burglar left partially unwrapped