A SICK prankster has punctured a brain-damaged teenager's Christmas treat by wrecking her giant, illuminated, inflatable snowman.

The ten-foot inflatable snowman was put up in 18-year-old Toni Wilson's garden in Main Street, Bishopthorpe, York, earlier this week.

But within two days someone cut through the guy ropes and tried to drag it away.

The material was torn in the process, deflating the snowman.

"The person who did this is sick," said Toni's grandmother, Myra Cook.

"They may think it is funny, but it is beyond a joke.

"We got it for Toni. When she first saw it, her face lit up.

"She was really upset when she saw what had happened to it. You could see her lips quivering. I was so upset and angry.

"Who on earth would do this to us?"

She said the snowman had cost £70 to buy.

Toni was brain-damaged as a baby and requires full-time care. But Myra says she has continued to make progress over recent years, and is much more aware of what is going on now than she was.

This is not the first time the family's home has been targeted by thieves or pranksters.

A smaller, illuminated snowman and Santa were snatched a couple of years ago and then returned at the beginning of this year, holding bizarre notes apologising for disappearing and explaining what they had been up to in the meantime.

One, from the Snowman, said it had been unable to take the pressure of people staring at it and had been receiving counselling.

Myra said then that she had seen the funny side of the kidnap, but appealed for the pranksters to call it a day because of the upset they were causing to Toni.

She had now gone out and bought two illuminated Santas, which would be attached to the house to ensure they were not stolen as well.

She had also reported the latest incident to police as an act of criminal damage and attempted theft.

She appealed for anyone who saw the incident, which happened at about 6.30pm on Tuesday, or had any other information, to phone the police on 01904 631321.

Updated: 10:37 Friday, December 19, 2003