A HUSBAND was keeping vigil at the bedside of his dying wife when a thief in the hospice car park stole treasured pictures of their last Christmas together. Raymond Newton, 59, of Bude Crescent, Stevenage, was with his wife Anita at the Sue Ryder St John

A HUSBAND was keeping vigil at the bedside of his dying wife when a thief in the hospice car park stole treasured pictures of their last Christmas together.

Raymond Newton, 59, of Bude Crescent, Stevenage, was with his wife Anita at the Sue Ryder St John's Hospice, Moggerhanger, when the thief struck.

After seeing his wife pass away he then found her car had been broken into and the photographs, the car radio and CDs had been stolen.

"Whoever did this is just pure scum. There are no other words to describe them and most of the words I would choose could not be printed," said Mr Newton.

"I knew my wife was dying and didn't have very long to live which is why I was at the hospice to be with her.

"I had just been struck with one blow when she died and then found her car had been broken into which was massively upsetting.

"I still can't believe I have lost precious pictures of Anita and all the family spending her last Christmas at home and I am still very, very angry and just hope the police catch them.

"She had given me the digital camera as a Christmas present and I had locked it in the boot of the car thinking it was safe. But the thief even ripped the rear seat to get into the boot.

"This was a wicked and evil thing to do at a hospice."

Mrs Newton, 58, who had been suffering from lung cancer after being diagnosed in November last year, had been in shop sales management and grew up in Stevenage where she attended Barclay School. The couple had married each other twice and had three children.

The theft from Mrs Newton's car happened on Tuesday night last week when another car was also broken into and property stolen at the hospice.

The vehicle belonged to a man from Shillington whose wife had also died on the same day.

"Both these men had been keeping a vigil with their dying wives," said Sue Ryder St John's care manager Pauline Panter.

"It is totally heartless to come on the hospice site and steal."

Pc Ross Patterson, who is investigating the incident, said: "Everything that was stolen from both vehicles was of sentimental value. It is a disgrace something like this can happen at a hospice."

Anyone with information about the thefts should contact Pc Patterson at Biggleswade police station on 01234 842544.