London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 04, 2026

Mum devastated as thieves steal £4,000 worth of Christmas gifts she saved for

Mum devastated as thieves steal £4,000 worth of Christmas gifts she saved for

A mum who saved all year for Christmas is devastated after thieves stole presents worth £4,000, including some meant for her severely disabled baby daughter.

Courtney Farnell, 21, went all out for the festive season as doctors are unsure how long 16-month-old daughter Minnie-mae will live.

The little girl was born with cytomegalovirus, which means she suffers from brain damage, epilepsy, muscle stiffness and a number of other issues.

Courtney says she lives every day in fear that it could be Minnie-mae’s last and wanted to give her daughter the ‘best Christmas a mother could give’.

On December 23, Courtney took her baby for a 30-minute drive to calm her down as she was struggling to settle.

When she returned to her home in Morley in Leeds, West Yorkshire, at around midnight, she found her home had been turned upside down and all her presents stolen, including a new £700 Xbox.

She said: ‘It’s so heartbreaking. I’ve worked from when I was very young for it all to be taken away from us just before Christmas.

‘We came through the front door. I got Minnie out of the car and went closer to the house. I could see all my belongings everywhere.


Minnie-mae has Cytomegalovirus


Ms Farnell wanted to give her disabled daughter the ‘best Christmas a mother could give’


‘All of the presents were gone. Everything I’d gotten for my family, for my daughter. They didn’t just steal from me – they stole from my baby girl.

‘I couldn’t believe it. My daughter is severely disabled and I don’t know how long she’s got left and now she could spend Christmas with nothing. It’s not right.

‘I worked all year to buy the presents and it’s so important for me that she knows she has everything for Christmas.

‘I just wanted to give her the best Christmas a mother could ever give her daughter. I don’t feel like it’s my home anymore. It doesn’t feel right.

‘Even if we replace the items they’re not our items. I’ve worked so hard to get to where I am, it feels awful for someone to just take it all away from us like this.’

Police have launched an investigation into the incident, as people rally around the family to ‘save Christmas’.


She returned home to find her belongings strewn all over the place


Police are investigating the case


Kindhearted strangers have raised more than £2,000 to replace the stolen gifts.

Courtney said: ‘I want to thank everyone who has helped and donated. It has made our Christmas. It saved Christmas. We had nothing.

‘As I work full-time caring for Minnie-mae there was no way I could replace any of the gifts, let alone everything else that was stolen.

‘But everyone who has shown us all of this support has shown us the true spirit of Christmas.

‘We are so overwhelmed and I want everyone to know that they’ve made my baby girl so happy.’

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Scottish Tech Company PureLifi Enters Administration With More Than 40 Job Losses
Scottish Government Names Alyn Smith Innovation and Education Minister
Green Party Co-Leader Zack Polanski to Contest By-Election for Keir Starmer’s Former Seat
Palestine Action Activists Appeal Terrorism-Related Prison Sentences
PwC Report Highlights Persistent Regional Spending-Power Divide Across Britain
UK Names Hundreds of Employers for Minimum Wage Violations
UK Commits £400 Million to International Tropical Forest Fund
UK Extends £2 Bus Fare Cap Across England Through 2027
UK Warns Travellers as US-Iran Tensions Disrupt Middle East Security and Shipping
Andy Burnham Faces Kemi Badenoch in First Prime Minister’s Questions
Kemi Badenoch Names Andrew Griffith Shadow Chancellor in Conservative Reshuffle
UK Treasury and Markets Focus on Fiscal Headroom Ahead of Autumn Budget
UK Government Reverses Early Release Plans for Serious Violent and Sexual Offences
UK and France Review Border Cooperation After 48,000 Small-Boat Crossings Prevented
UK Growth Outlook Weakens as Inflation and Energy Costs Rise
Breeding Tropical Mosquitoes Discovered in East London
Sadiq Khan Agrees to Search of Digital Communications in Palantir Lawsuit
Scottish Protesters Call for Moratorium on AI Data Centre Expansion
Uber Drivers Bring London Class Action Over Algorithmic Management
Reform UK Accepts £4 Million Donation From Cryptocurrency Billionaire Pardoned by Trump
Justice Secretary Tightens Early Release Scheme to Exclude Manslaughter Offenders
Kemi Badenoch Reshuffles Conservative Team as Reform UK Pressure Grows
British Mortgage Rates Rise as Global Bond Sell-Off Pushes Up Borrowing Costs
UK Records Hottest Summer on Record in 2026
UK Government Urges Households to Stock Essential Supplies Ahead of Severe El Niño Risk
UK Prepares Targeted Sanctions Over Israeli Settlements in West Bank
Reform UK Faces Electoral and Police Scrutiny Over Foreign Donation Allegations
UK and France Expand Channel Migration Cooperation as Trade Tensions Surface
UK Marks Merchant Navy Day With Tribute to Civilian Seafarers
Burnham Pays Tribute to Two Police Officers Killed on Duty in Northern England
Booking.com Left Fake Downing Street Listing Online for Two Months, Which Says
Burnham and Macron to Review UK-France Cooperation on Channel Crossings
UK Business Confidence Improves Slightly but Investment Concerns Persist
Burnham Faces Pressure Over Future North Sea Oil and Gas Licences
Burnham Pushes Wider English Devolution Through ‘Number Ten North’
British Chambers of Commerce Raises 2026 UK Growth Forecast to 1%
Keir Starmer Resigns as Holborn and St Pancras MP, Triggering By-Election
UK Chancellor Faces Tighter Budget Headroom as Long-Term Borrowing Costs Rise
UK Government Weighs Thames Water Nationalisation as Financial Crisis Deepens
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Faces First Commons Questions Over Tax and Spending Plans
Eleven British Seafarers Receive Merchant Navy Medal
Which? Creates Fake 10 Downing Street Rental Listing to Expose Booking.com Vetting Weaknesses
BP Appoints New Chairman in Effort to Stabilise Leadership
Aberdeen Sells Hydrogen Bus Fleet at Heavy Loss After Green Transport Experiment
UK Records Hottest Summer on Record as Climate Change Intensifies Extreme Heat
Scotland Pledges to End Temporary Accommodation for Children and Build 111,000 Affordable Homes
DNO Agrees $396 Million Deal to Acquire Capricorn Energy
Uber and Wayve Launch UK’s First Supervised Autonomous Ride-Hailing Service in London
Britain Expected to Avoid New US Tariffs Targeting European Union
Middle East Conflict Pushes UK Energy Costs Higher and Revives Inflation Concerns
×