Police hunt 'cruel' burglar who drowned puppy in a bath during break-in and left it for owners to find

A seven-month-old puppy was deliberately drowned in a bath by a "cruel" intruder during a break-in, police have said.

Benji the Cockapoo was found dead at the ransacked address in Gorleston, near Great Yarmouth, by owner Susan Walker on Wednesday.

The mother-of-two said the sight of her lifeless pet will "haunt" her forever and has left her unable to break it to her children.

A computer and other items were stolen from the home in Cobholm Close between 3.50pm and 5.30pm, Norfolk Police said.

Ms Walker returned to find her house had been burgled and her dog missing, prompting her to call her brother, Gareth Deacon-Walker, and partner, Mark Phillips, for help.

They found the bathroom door jammed shut, forcing her brother to kick it down and make the grim find, according to reports.

"Everything we lost is immaterial. The fact we lost the puppy is the most devastating thing," Ms Walker, 33, told the Eastern Daily Press.

"I came straight down and told Mark to not go upstairs.

"That sight will haunt for the rest of my life."

She added: "Benji was really playful and part of the family. I have not told the children what has happened. We have told them he has gone missing and police are helping us find him."

Mr Phillips, 40, was said to have been reduced to tears by the sight of Benji's body in the bath.

Detective Sergeant Richard Wallis said: "This is a particularly cruel crime and I would urge anyone who may have seen any suspicious behaviour in the area at around the time of the burglary to come forward."