A FUNDRAISER has been launched to help an 82-year-old whose house was ransacked by a ‘cowardly’ burglar - whilst she was inside.

Doris Copeland, who lives in Rhyl, dozed off late Friday afternoon on December 18. She woke up to find her handbag had been moved before hearing the intruder rummaging through her belongings.

The pensioner rang her daughter Caroline Jones.

Caroline and the police rushed over to the house, but the cruel thief had already fled and had made off with treasured items including a sapphire and diamond pendant, a gold necklace with a pendant, four or five pairs of earrings, Doris’ wedding ring and £250 in cash.

Kind fundraisers from Belief rushed to Doris’ aid and have set up a JustGiving page to help support the mum, who is originally from Malta but has lived in her house in Marsh Road since 1964.

Steve Evans, of Meliden, founder of Belief, visited Doris and Caroline and presented them with flowers and chocolates.

Belief are going to pay for both the excess on the house insurance and are upgrading Doris’s door to a secure composite.

Caroline said: “I look after my mum, I am her carer. She lives on her own and she is housebound. She doesn’t go out unless I take her out.

“On Friday, she was alright. She was in her house, she had her food, had her hair done. I remember looking at her thinking she looks nice, she looks alright.

“She rang me about 5pm and she said have you just knocked on the window? And I said ‘no, why would I do that?’ Anyway, I thought nothing of it. I said just ignore it thinking it was kids or whatever.

“Anyway, what they had done is...you know the plastic door and the square panels? They had cut that out round the back and kicked it in and bang it in - so that is the banging, knocking that she heard, and they had come in.

Rhyl Journal:

Steve Evans, founder of Belief, with Doris and Caroline. Presenting chocolates and flowers from a safe distance

“Because she is deaf as well, hard of hearing, she had been sat in the front room dozing off

“She dozed off, watching the tele, and the intruder has rummage through all her draws and pinched all her gold, took £250 and even... she had a handbag at the side of her. He sneaked into the front room where she was asleep on the chair and took her handbag to the side of her and gone through that.

“She woke up and seen that her handbag was moved from one side of the room to the other and she thought - 'how is that there?'

"So she got up and she heard him riffling through, so she phoned me up and said 'come quickly - there is somebody in the house'.

"So we phoned the police and when we got there, the police got there, but he had gone. He had got away."

Both Doris and Caroline have been left shaken by the incident.

"I work in Sainsbury's - I have taken the rest of the week off, I can’t even face to go into work," Caroline said.

"It has upset me because I am worried about her.

"She has gone back home but I am worried about her in case he comes back"

Caroline, who has heard from a friend that another house has been targeted, said they were 'touched' after Belief contacted them to help. Caroline knows Steve personally.

"I put it on Facebook and Steve got in touch with me and it has gone from there," she said.

"Steve and Belief have helped no end.

"What was taken was a sapphire and diamond pendant on a 24 carat gold chain. She is from Malta my mum so that was a family heirloom, then irreplaceable earrings - they are antiques.

"A pendant on a chain - that is antique. Irreplaceable. That is on a 24 carat gold chain and there is about four or five pairs of cheapest earrings and £250 in cash.

"You know - things like this, it can finish old people off.

"Her wedding ring was taken and she didn’t know until Sunday it had gone, so that has upset her as well.

"I believe whoever did this, it is someone who is desperate for money.

"Someone that works wouldn’t do this. It is someone that has got no morals."

Steve said: “After hearing of the vile, disgusting and cowardly act inflicted on lovely 82 year old pensioner Doris, having her home broken into and robbed while she was in, we as a group felt we must act.

“We visited Doris and her daughter Caroline with some flowers and chocolates.

“Belief are going to pay for both the excess on the house insurance and to upgrade her door to a secure composite.

“Hearing of what happened, really turned my stomach how anyone could actually do such a thing to such a lovely person is beyond me - how can they possibly sleep at night?

“Here is wishing Doris, Caroline and indeed all her loving family all the very best.”

The incident happened at about 5.30pm on Friday, December 18.

DC 2945 Michael Starkey said: “The gold [necklace] is old Maltese gold and has a sentimental value to the victim. It was a busy time of day and we believe someone may have seen someone acting suspiciously in the area.”

Anyone with information should contact Central CID on 101. Quote reference 20000768734.

To donate to the fundraiser, visit: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/belief-123?utm_term=jNRvqYPQ7