Updated: A CANCER patient had her mobile phone with treasured photographs stolen as she had treatment at York Hospital.

Police yesterday called the theft of the Samsung Galaxy “despicable” and say it had left the victim extremely distressed.

The phone was taken from a bedside cabinet at the hospital between noon and 8pm on Saturday, while the 55-year-old owner was receiving treatment for her illness.

It contained personal photos that she cannot retrieve, police said.

PC Wesley Cooper, of York Police, said: “This is a despicable theft.

“The thief must have known that the phone belonged to a seriously ill patient and they showed callous disregard for the effect the theft had on them.

“The phone holds treasured images of the woman’s grandchildren, which she finds of great comfort during the treatment she is receiving.

“I urge anyone who can help return this phone to its rightful owner to contact the police or Crimestoppers immediately.”

A spokeswoman for York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said they would be working with police on inquiries into the theft.

She added: “We aim to provide a safe and secure place for staff, visitors and patients, and thankfully thefts are rare.

“We are providing the police with any information they need to help their investigation.

“The overall crime rate at the hospital is falling, with reported crimes reducing year on year.”

She said there were security guards on site 24 hours a day, and CCTV coverage, and said the hospital worked closely with police.

But she said: “We can never fully eliminate the risk of theft due to the high number of people coming to the hospital every day, and we have to balance security measures with the inconvenience of restricting patient and visitor access to the site.”

Anyone who can help the police is asked to phone PC Cooper on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.