1:20pm Friday 11th May 2012 in News

Paul Cox outside his home in Southampton

IT IS almost impossible to measure the impact being burgled can have on a person, but one dad believes it almost cost him his daughter’s life.

Having, hours earlier, found his family’s home had been broken into, Paul Cox then found himself battling to save eight-year-old Carla.

For 20 minutes Paul kept her alive by performing lifesaving mouth-to-mouth.

The stress of the burglary had, apparently, triggered a powerful epileptic fit. Carla had stopped breathing and her heart had stopped.

Paul said: “Immediately we knew it was a bad one we couldn’t treat at home so I was on the phone to the ambulance straight away and doing mouth-to-mouth.”

As she now recovers at home in Southampton , Paul is in no doubt the person who targeted their property could well have robbed him of his daughter.

Paul, 33, had been enjoying a family day out with his partner and his three children, Carla, Calum, seven, and Lewis, six.

But as they entered their home in Alpine Way, Bitterne , it was clear something was wrong.

Paul, a self-employed builder, said: “I looked through the hallway and could see straight away the back door had been forced open.”

As he began to search the house he saw a silhouette and when he shouted out a figure appeared to run off down the side of the property.

He discovered his bedroom had been ransacked and a safe containing £6,000 taken.

“We called the police and they were here within minutes. They didn’t leave until the early hours so we all decided to sleep together downstairs. We were all really upset by it.”

Hours later they were woken by Carla, who was by then in the grip of an epileptic fit, a condition she has suffered since birth.

“Her triggers are usually sleep deprivation and stress, both of those things happened as a result of the break-in.

“It has massively affected us all. We felt violated and dirty that someone had been in our home. To some extent you know you have to pick yourself up from that. But when it then impacts on my children’s health it is personal and I feel angry.

“I want them to know what effect this has had on my family.”

Detectives want to hear from anyone who may have seen someone running from the property at about 11pm on Saturday.

Det Con Martin Timmis said: “This was an awful thing for the family to deal with.

“I am hoping anyone with information about this will realise the impact this has had and come forward.”

Nearby residents are also being asked to check their gardens as it is possible the burglar may have discarded the safe.

Anyone with information is asked to call Det Con Timmis at Bitterne CID on 101.

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