The family of a man with days to live have described thieves who broke into his home and ransacked it have described the burglars as scum.
Cyril Maddox, 87, is believed to have woken up when they climbed through the utility room window which was open because of the heatwave.
However, he suffers from dementia and so is unable to provide a description of the intruders.
They stole his life-savings and a set of keys after raiding the house in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, between 3.45am and 6.45am on Sunday.
His daughter, Kerry Crisp, 52, said: Dads got days if not hours left to live and to think that someone could go into his room while hes dying and take his money is disgusting.
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He cant express himself properly not but hes been quite agitated since, pulling his legs up and he keeps saying break, so I think he might have been awake when it happened.
They went through every single cupboard, took drawers out, tipped the mattress in the third bedroom over and went through all my dads clothes.
They took his wallet, his emergency fund, his pension – all his money. Its left him penniless.
Only scum would do that to a dying man – its wicked. Im completely heartbroken.
I just hope the police catch the people responsible before he dies but I fear hes only got a very short time left.
The thieves must have known he was ill when they broke in and seen who lived in the bungalow.
When the detective inspector came to see us after it happened, he looked at dad and cried.
Mr Maddox, who served as a marksmen in the Royal Pioneers in the 1950s before working for Austin Rover, has six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren,
He lives with his wife Vivian, 81, who suffers from motor neurone disease and frontal dementia.
Kerry, who works as a phlebotomist taking blood samples, added: Dad fell over three weeks ago and suffered awful injuries and a massive bleed on the brain so hes on morphine.
A neighbour had mowed the lawn for him and he was going down the path to make sure the gate was closed when he fell.
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The stress of the break-in has made his last days so much more painful and stressful. Its been a nightmare.
Inspector Gareth Keyte, of West Mercia Police, said: The victim of this burglary is currently receiving end of life care.
This is probably the most heart-breaking burglary I have attended in my career, and I want to make it clear that West Mercia Police is committed to investigating all incidents like this, to ensure victims who may be particularly vulnerable or isolated receive the support they need.
This investigation is ongoing and a number of enquiries are progressing. Alongside partners, West Mercia Police is providing additional support for the victim and his family at this distressing time.
We will be doing everything in our power to bring those responsible to justice.
I would like to take this opportunity to remind members of the public to remain security conscious in the hot weather.
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