THIEVES have robbed two Beaconsfield girls of the last traces of their mum’s voice, stealing a laptop with her only known recording.

Rebecca West died in 2012 at the age of 42, three years after being diagnosed with secondary breast cancer.

“We began to forget what mummy’s voice sounded like, so we we started watching some videos of her on the laptop,” says Lily Rose, 9.

Two weeks ago thieves scaled a two-metre garden wall at the family’s Reuben Street home, snuck into the kitchen, and helped themselves to the laptop.

“It was just a silly family video with Rebecca and me singing limericks after a few drinks, but it meant so much to the kids,” says the girls’ dad, Brett.

• Lola Valentine (7), Brett Claughton and Lily Rose (9). Photo by Stephen Pollock

The thieves also stole a $5000 custom guitar, which had a “Bec” mother-of-pearl inlay on the fretboard.

Brett, who was with Rebecca for 20 years, says he tried counselling following her death but it didn’t help, so he had an acoustic guitar made by local luthier Rad Brashaw, to cheer himself up.

“I would sit in the kitchen most nights, playing and singing songs on the guitar that reminded me of her.

“Most of the time I would break down, but I kept going and every night I would get a bit further with each song.

“Two nights before she died we listened to the Angels song, Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again, so that one was extremely poignant.

“That guitar helped me deal with my grief and was definitely a form of therapy.”

Brett, 59, opened The Local Cafe in Hilton two years after Rebecca died, so he could close at 2pm and pick his kids up from school.

He says he plans to leave the cafe to his daughters.

His wife had been a senior police officer whose insight into domestic violence led to a statewide overhaul of how offending is handled by the justice system.

If you spot Brett’s guitar or grey Samsung laptop contact him on 0422 718 577.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK