A FURIOUS Selby burglary victim said today that Britain's law lords had lost touch with reality after calling for more lenient sentences for offenders.

Joyce Meredith, 52, has just been burgled for the second time and says she no longer feels safe in her own home.

She said statements by Lord Chief Justice, Lord Woolf, and the Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine, insisting that first and even second-time offenders should not automatically go to prison were a "disgrace."

Mrs Meredith, who lives in a semi-detached house near Selby town centre, had family heirlooms stolen in the latest attack. She was also robbed of her peace of mind.

She said: "Lord Woolf and Lord Irvine must live on a different planet. It took me years to get over the first burglary, and now my home and privacy have been invaded again.

"We should send all burglars to prison, not lay out the welcome mat.

"I wouldn't mind betting that both lords have never been burgled and that their homes are like Fort Knox. But what about the ordinary people?

"In the latest burglary, they took a three-string set of pearls, given to me by my mother, and an eternity ring belonging to my mother-in-law. These things are irreplaceable and I was heartbroken.

"I felt like I wanted to scrub my home from top to bottom."

Mrs Meredith, a council administrative assistant, said she had now fitted a burglar alarm and security lights, but still felt very frightened and wary.

Lord Irvine backed controversial sentencing rules brought in last month by Lord Woolf.

He said: "I don't accept that people are disturbed at first time or even second-time burglars - where there are no aggravated elements - not going to prison."

But Detective Sergeant Dave Pegg, of Selby CID, said today that police officers were in despair at these latest comments.

He said: "We are starting to think they have really lost the plot. Burglary of a house is a very serious crime and very traumatic for the victims.

"The vast majority of offenders are heroin addicts, and if they aren't in prison they will continue to commit crimes."

Updated: 16:37 Wednesday, January 08, 2003