Thieves steal car with £4,000 of vital equipment for girl, 4, with rare disorder

A mother of a four-year-old girl with severe disabilities said she was "shocked" after her car containing £4,000 worth of medical supplies and equipment - including her daughter's specialist car seat - were stolen.

Catrin Jones, 25, from Gorseinon, Swansea, had left the blue Volkswagen Taigo in a car park while picking up her daughter Eva Rae's medication from a local pharmacy at about 15:00 BST on Monday.

Eva, who has Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD), relies on specialised equipment including the £3,000 car seat.

The theft meant that Eva had to travel for a pre-planned stay in University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff later that night lying in the back seat, as her mother held her.

"It was very unsafe and we should not have done it but if we missed the appointment we would face a three-year wait and we do not have that time," Catrin said.

According to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, MLD is a rare inherited disorder that mainly affects the brain's "white matter", causing a progressive loss of physical and later mental abilities.

It is estimated to affect around one in 40,000 people in the UK.

There is no cure, and Catrin said Eva, diagnosed at 18 months, was given a life expectancy of five years - she turns five on Sunday.

Eva has lost the ability to talk, walk and is tube-fed.

"So it starts physical and then becomes neurological," Catrin said.

"I feel we are now in that neurological stage."

On Monday afternoon, Catrin said she had been at Sainsbury's and, while putting Eva into her pushchair, accidentally left her bag with the car keys inside.

When she returned 20 minutes later, the car had gone, with local CCTV later showing it being driven away at 15:21 BST.

"I was shocked," she said, adding the thieves would have seen a blue badge, her daughter's photos, and vital medical supplies inside.

Eva's seizure medication and feeding kit were taken, along with her specialised £3,000 car seat.

"It's important stuff that needs to be carried around with me everywhere I go," she said.

"I was most upset about my daughter's car seat.

"That's a specialised car seat - we can't travel anywhere.

"So hospital appointments have become a burden because we can't get to them without that seat."

According to Catrin, who is currently in hospital doing "nippy mask training" to help with Eva's breathing in the night, her car has been spotted multiple times since Monday.

She is trying to sort everything from the side of Eva's hospital bed.

"The police have no update at all about my car," she said.

"They said they were going to trace it up but we haven't heard anything yet."

Catrin added that money raised by the community for Eva to make memories may now have to be used to replace the stolen equipment.

A spokesperson for South Wales Police said it understands that being the victim of car theft can be "costly and cause upset and inconvenience".

It confirmed the force was investiagting and urged anyone who sees the car to contact them.