A WOMAN said she felt 'traumatised and violated' after a serial thief smashed his way into her home and stole the only items she had to remember her parents by.

Rachel Williams has spoken of her horror after she discovered her late parents' jewellery and coin collection had been snatched when she returned to find her Jericho home ransacked in January.

And despite career criminal Alexander Walker being caught and jailed for four years last week, the 51-year-old's only material memory of her parents appears to be lost forever - with the prolific criminal refusing to say what he did with the items.

Ms Williams, who does not want to reveal her face, told the Oxford Mail how she felt 'frightened' and was 'terrified to go to sleep' in her own home as a result of the break-in.

The grandmother-of-three added: "My mother had died and left me her jewellery, but he [Walker] took everything.

"I don't know how much the jewellery costs because it had not been valued, but it was sentimental to me.

"It was beautiful and it reminded me of my mother.

"I feel so traumatised and violated. It's really damaged me psychologically."

Former Magdalen School pupil, Walker, of no fixed abode, has brought misery to dozens of homeowners by committing more than 100 crimes to create his horrendous criminal record over the past 20 years.

The thief broke into the back of Ms Williams's home by smashing the kitchen window and climbing inside the property sometime between 5pm and 10pm on January 25.

The jewellery items taken included a diamond ring, pearls, broaches, about 10 pairs of earrings and her late mother Kathleen Walker's pearl ring, which was her 21st birthday present.

A collection of coins which belonged to her late father William was also taken along with a ring which belonged to her late brother Michael who was a priest where the family were originally from in Liverpool.

Ms Williams's laptop, which had four years worth of work from a course she is studying at Ruskin College saved on it and was worth about £2,000, was also taken in the raid.

Ms Williams said she was now undergoing trauma therapy and treatment for PTSD.

The mother-of-one, who has lived in the city since 2005, praised the work done by Detective Constable Isaac van den Eshof, who she said had been 'amazing' and 'so supportive'.

But Ms Williams added she didn't feel like she had received closure on the crime, claiming she had not had chance to read her victim impact statement in front of Walker in court, as he was sentenced so soon after pleading guilty.

At Walker's sentencing in Oxford Crown Court, Recorder Richard Prior said Walker had committed '73 acquisition offences' over two decades and a series of burglaries during the past eight years.

He added: "This was a serious offence with an appalling personal impact on the victim.

"She lost her laptop with four years of coursework on it and jewellery of a hugely sentimental value."

The recorder gave the defendant full credit for his guilty plea before sentencing him to four years to run concurrently with a sentence he is already serving behind bars for Class A drugs supply.

Reported burglaries in Oxford decreased from 472 in December 2015 to 396 in December last year.

Thames Valley Police said Walker was sentenced after pleading guilty to one count of dwelling burglary after being arrested a day after he burgled Ms Williams's property.

Detective Constable van den Eshof, said: "This was a particularly upsetting burglary and a terrible sentimental loss for the complainant.

"The defendant pleaded guilty which prevented the victim from having to attend a trial but to date he has not disclosed what he has done with the jewellery. The sentence I believe reflects the seriousness of the crime and has given the victim some closure."