EXCLUSIVE – Pictured: Single mother, 41, who fell victim to Britain’s meanest thief who stole phone she was selling to pay for her stillborn daughter’s funeral
- WARNING: Includes content that some readers may find upsetting
- Loretta Bacchus, from Cheltenham, Gloucs, was left shaken by the ordeal
- The 41-year-old had told the thief about her baby when they talked in her house
- A former care-home worker, the robber later threatened her over the phone
A single mother who fell victim to Britain’s meanest thief had her phone stolen – while she was trying to sell it to cover the costs of her late daughter’s funeral.
Loretta Bacchus, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, said she was left shaken by the ordeal – as she had told the thief about her baby while they talked in her house.
And the 41-year-old was left fearing for her four daughters’ safety after the robber threatened her over the phone after he was contacted by the police.
Loretta, who worked at a care home before she lost her daughter, said: ‘I’m quite a positive person, despite the way Liliana was taken away from me.
‘She was born at 31 weeks and she was absolutely beautiful.
Nearly two years on, Loretta resolved to sell her iPhone to pay the remainder of her debt for Liliana’s urn, flowers and order of service
After Loretta phoned the police, the robber (pictured) menacingly called her and said he knew where she and her children lived
‘I’ve got a lot of trust in people. So when someone in society preys on that trust I find it quite difficult.
‘I’m raising four girls on my own after losing my fifth daughter – I always say be a strong independent woman but then things like this happen and you think, oh gosh, and it all goes out the window.
‘You can’t trust anyone these days.
‘I should have been more aware of it, I think, but I’m only just seeing the light at the end of the tunnel since we lost Liliana. I’m still in that process.’
Loretta lost little Liliana-Coco in June 2021 and has been battling ever since to pay for her service amid the cost of living crisis.
After being diagnosed with Edwards’ syndrome in the womb, she was stillborn after giving her final kick at 31 weeks.
After she was born, the Snowdrop Suite at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital held Liliana in a cold cot for three days and allowed her family to be with her.
Nearly two years on, Loretta resolved to sell her iPhone to pay the remainder of her debt for Liliana’s urn, flowers and order of service.
Three of her kids – Lorena, 13, Oleina, 10, and Mahalia, 7 – were in the house with her while the robber took her phone, while Naima, 23, has moved out Pictured from left to right: Naima-Mae, Loretta, Norena-Rose, Oliina-Winnie and Mahali-Sun
Loretta and her children have created a memorial garden for Liliana, who was born 31 weeks into her pregnancy
But when a man – who had an Irish accent – came to pick up the phone, he grabbed Loretta’s wrist and snatched it from her
But when a man – who had an Irish accent – came to pick it up, he grabbed her wrist and snatched it from her.
And after Loretta phoned the police, he menacingly called her and said he knew where she and her children lived.
Describing the incident, Loretta continued: ‘He knew, because I said to him, why I was selling the phone – he knew exactly what it was being sold for.
‘I messaged the guy after and said: “Please bring my phone back, you know it’s for my daughter.”
‘Obviously he’s got no compassion at all.
‘It was just a flick of a switch and all of a sudden he twisted my wrist and just grabbed the phone out of my hand and then went out the door.
‘I was shaken up. My main worry was my children.’
She said she was unnerved by just how polite he was – the robber even closed the door behind him when dashed from her house. He claimed to be buying the tech for his daughter before she went to college and hung around talking for a full five minutes before he made his dash
Three of her children- Lorena, 13, Oliina, 10, and Mahalia, 7 – were in the house with her while the robber took her phone, while Naima, 23, has moved out.
But she said she was unnerved by just how polite he was – the robber even closed the door behind him when he dashed from her house.
He claimed to be buying the tech for his daughter before she went to college and hanged around talking for a full five minutes before he made his dash.
Loretta needed to pay back £300 for Liliana’s funeral, of which only £40 now remains to pay.
The blue iPhone 12 pro max was advertised for £500 – and she intended to use the money left over on her sky-rocketing heating bills.
The funeral directors helped her with the cost, paying for Liliana’s pink casket and an escort in a funeral car.
And since the theft she has been overwhelmed by the kindness shown by MailOnline readers. Many offered to donate towards her daughter’s funeral costs, although Loretta has not taken any money.
Loretta added: ‘Through the whole situation the amount of respect that I had and Liliana had during the traumatic time, it it made the pregnancy and the birth a wonderful thing.
‘It was such a tragedy but the memory that she holds to me and my children is absolutely beautiful.
‘We knew that it’s been nearly two years and it was just a bill that has hovered over our head. It was something I needed to do just to get things in order for myself as a now single parent.
‘Everyone has to cut back for certain things and I wouldn’t want to play the victim card. I can’t work because of what happened with Liliana.
‘We did have to cut back on certain things and I don’t think it’s the materialistic aspect – it’s the emotional aspect where you just have to carry on for the children that you’ve got and it’s very, very hard.
‘And then when someone does this to you – it’s just a disrespectful thing to do.
‘But I am just very grateful that there are beautiful people out there still. I don’t expect anything from anyone because the kindness that people have shown us is more than enough.
‘One person’s badness can’t replace everyone’s kindness.’
Officers are appealing for information to help identify the man following the robbery.
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