Wirral mum's plea to thieves who stole her dead daughter's jewellery




A MUM who lost her four-year-old daughter to a brain disease desperately wants thieves who stole the little girl’s jewellery to give it back. [Linked Image]

J’alisha Atherton had just celebrated her fourth birthday when she died on March 29, 2003.

She died from a neurological disease which destroyed the white matter in her brain and meant that she slowly lost mobility.

On Thursday, the house where J’alisha – called Jbo by her family – had lived with her mum and older sister, Leigh, on Carlton Road, Birkenhead, was robbed.

Christmas presents, a Playstation 3 console and watches were taken, along with J’alisha’s jewellery.

The stolen jewellery included a gold Winnie the Pooh charm bracelet with a ‘Jbo’ charm . There was also a gold teddy bear necklace and a gold locket which contained a lock of J’alisha’s hair. .

J’alisha’s mum Melanie, 40, a carer for elderly people in Prenton, said: “The bracelet was specially made for J’alisha at Birkenhead Market. We gave it to her for her fourth birthday just before she died. She loved it so much as it was made with melted down jewellery from all the family.

“On the back of the locket ‘To Mel love John and Jbo’ is written as it was given to me by my ex husband and J’alisha. Inside the locket was a piece of her hair. My sister cut a lock for us all when she had died.

“J’alisha loved the locket, she was fascinated by it. She didn’t have much mobility but she loved to touch the chain.”

With tears streaming down her face, Melanie added: “I don’t care about the other stuff. They are just things. J’alisha’s means everything to me. The jewellery is worth nothing, they won’t get anything for it.

“When she died she took a piece of all of us away as we are a really close family. We still include her in everything we do. She may have died six years ago but it is still very raw. I watched my baby die. It takes courage to pick yourself up when this has happened to you. The robbery brings all of the pain back. All of her things have been violated. I only had her for a short time and keeping her things is all I have got left.”

If you have any information, call Birkenhead CID on 0151 777 2264 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.


THE WIRRAL NEWS