A WOMAN in mourning for her son is facing yet more heartbreak after his beloved German shepherd puppy was stolen.

Angela Sim returned from work to her home in Sandway, Lenham, near Maidstone, to discover that the eight-month-old bitch, Amber, had been snatched from her back garden.

The dog belonged to her son Christopher Sim, 20, who was killed on the A20 at Charing in October.

Miss Sim said: “These people just do not consider other people’s feelings at all. It could not have come at a worse time.” She stressed: “Amber was like a link to my son."

Miss Sim and her partner Roger Wickens own three dogs, Amber, another 10-year-old German Shepherd and a lurcher Labrador cross. All three were kept in a locked back yard.

When Miss Sim got out of her car on her driveway, only the two older dogs went to greet her. After a frantic search in the dark, she realised that Amber was missing.

She said: “I think someone has been watching the house. They knew we had a puppy and they knew when I would be out. Perhaps they want to sell her on or hold her to ransom.”

Amber was wearing a brown flea collar and a black, white and red collar with her name on.

Miss Sim has already put up dozens of posters in the Lenham area begging for the puppy’s return, but she fears the dog may never be found.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Mid Kent Police on 01622 604180 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.