Appeal over meningitis boy photos

Tom Wyatt was struck down by meningitis in March 2007

The parents of a teenage boy who died of meningitis last year have appealed for help after losing many precious photographs of him in a burglary.

Two cameras and a laptop, which had pictures of Tom Wyatt, 17, on the hard drive and memory card, were taken from their home in Balsall Common, Solihull.

"It's like they've ripped a piece of our life away," his father Michael said after Wednesday's burglary.

Some cash raised for The Meningitis Trust was also taken.

The family have already raised £30,000 for the charity.

'So sad'

Mr Wyatt and his wife Julie were asleep during the burglary, in which a car, jewellery and a mobile phone were also taken.

He said: "It's not the value of the goods that interests us.

"It's the content of the items that are on the laptop and the two cameras that were taken.

"If nothing else, we would hopefully appeal that someone would hand them back in."

Tom Wyatt was struck down by meningitis in March 2007.

His mother said: "It's just shock, terrible shock. It's so sad really, all the lovely photographs - it's terrible."

The family recently walked the Great Wall of China to raise money for charity and many pictures from that trip were also taken.