A LLANELLI couple have relived their nightmare Christmas Day at the hands of a drug-addled burglar.

Debbie Thomas embarked on her festive raid at Christine and Mike Vaughan's home in Tyisha Road as they sat with their family in the living room.

After swiping two handbags from the hallway, the 21-year-old heroin addict made off with their Renault Clio, which she then crashed into another car, causing around £5,000 worth of damage in total.

Mrs Vaughan told the Star: "We had an awful Christmas Day. It's a nightmare, the thought of somebody coming into my house like that. That night I was quite calm, but the next day I just went to pieces.''

The 54-year-old catering assistant explained: ''There were about nine of us in the living room and we didn't hear anything.

''I hadn't locked the front door because I was waiting for my daughter. My phone was in my bag, my husband rang it and she (Thomas) answered the phone. The cheek of it.''

Thomas, of Llwynhendy Road, Llwynhendy, who admitted burglary and aggravated taking a vehicle without consent, was spared jail.

She had stolen the two handbags from the hallway between 10pm and 11pm on Christmas Day, town magistrates heard.

A set of keys was taken, which was then used to drive the Renault away from outside the Vaughans's home.

It was later seen travelling along Pemberton Road at 11.30pm that same night and hit a parked vehicle, a black Vauxhall Zafira.

Thomas blamed her heroin habit for her actions, magistrates were told. She said the offence was out of character but she was finding it extremely difficult to stop taking drugs.

The magistrates imposed a 20-week jail sentence suspended for 18 months.

For aggravated vehicle assault, she was disqualified from driving for three years.

Thomas was also ordered to pay £200 compensation to each of the car owners and £50 costs.

Read the rest of this story in this week's Llanelli Star.