A woman says she had to move home because her severely autistic son was 'devastated' after their home was burgled.
The family were on holiday in Chessington at Easter and when they returned to their home in Pentrebane, Cardiff they found out it had been burgled .
Diego Thompson, nine, had his PS4, Nintendo Switch and X-box stolen, something he heavily relies on as he struggles to communicate because of his autism.
Rebecca says life has never been the same for Diego, who is now scared to leave his home as he fears his things will be stolen and they have even had to move house.
She said: "We just couldn't live there anymore. Diego would wake me up in the middle of the night to go downstairs and check everything was safe.
"We'd sit there and after a while he'd be okay to go back to bed. He would be so scared to leave the house and no matter where we'd go, he'd ask to take his toys."
Rebecca says she was left with no choice but to move house as Diego just wouldn't settle into his new routine.
She says normal everyday activities, like going to school, became so tough that she felt like she had no choice.
"He would go to school and all he would want to do is come home and stay in bed," she said.
"Before he was out going and we would always go to different parks, now he just wants to stay in bed.
"The burglars turned an outgoing and happy boy into a sad one."
Rebecca, who cares for her son full-time, said they returned home from holiday in April and saw the door unlocked.
When they went upstairs, the house was ransacked and the consoles had been taken.
The burglars even took Diego's moneybox, which contained pennies.
Rebecca said: "People may commit burglaries and not understand the effect it has on the families. It may seem like nothing but for an autistic boy these things mean the world.
"It's absolutely devastating and it's turned his life around. When we go in the car he hides as he's scared of going outside."
Rebecca says she hopes people understand the effect burglaries can have on people and says more education is needed.
She added: "I want to ask them to think about the consequences their actions could have on the families they choose to steal from.
"I don't think they should be sent to jail, they need education and maybe they will feel sympathy before they commit another crime.
"These burglars have ruined my son. No nine-year-old should have to live like this."
