MAY 9: THE wife of Colerne sergeant Steven Pilmer, who is currently stationed in Iraq, has told of her shock after thieves stole more than £500 of baby equipment from her car.

Joni Pilmer, 26, who works as a supply nurse for elderly and disabled people, was caring for a patient at Kingsley Close, in Chippenham, on Sunday night, when the theft occurred.

Earlier in the evening, she had moved her red Ford Focus from the end of the road and parked it directly outside the house where she was working.

But shortly after driving her car away, she realised that the front passenger window had been smashed and thieves had been at work.

"I was very shocked and a little frightened," said Mrs Pilmer.

"Ironically, I had moved the car into a more visible place, but it hadn't done any good.

"When I got into the car, it was dark and I didn't realise anything was wrong straight away.

"Then, as I drove off down the road, I realised that there was broken glass all over the seats and it was showering down where the window had been smashed.

After the 12-mile drive back to the Colerne Army camp where she lives, Mrs Pilmer used a black bin liner and tape to patch up her damaged car window.

She said: "When I got home, I checked the car properly and found that they had taken my new pram, the car seat, my older daughter's booster seat and all my CDs.

"They had even taken my mobile phone charger, which was only worth a few pounds."

The total value of the goods which have been stolen are believed to be around £860.

"I just couldn't believe that someone had broken into my car and stolen my baby's things," said Mrs Pilmer.

"If it had been the stereo they were after, I maybe could have understood it, but it is almost sick to steal things from a baby."

Mrs Pilmer has been left feeling vulnerable and annoyed by the theft. "I feel very angry because their actions are hurting my daughters Molly and Armarni," she said.

"The pram was only four months old and now I am forced to carry around Molly, who is only 18 months-old, until I can get a new one."

Mrs Pilmer said had been left particularly vulnerable from the theft because her husband has been away in the Gulf, serving with the 21 Signals Regiment, for more than four months.

"He will be very angry when he finds out what these thieves have done," she said. "I just hope these people feel guilty, knowing that they have stolen from a baby."

Anyone who may have seen anyone acting suspiciously in Kingsley Road on Sunday evening, is asked to contact Chippenham Police on (01249) 654455

dwaite@newswilts.co.uk