THREE weeks after her Benalla house was burgled, Nancy Smith died.

The 93-year-old great-grandmother was fit, so much so she was still living at home after her husband Stanley passed away in 2006.

But the burglary on Easter Sunday rocked her so much that her family says it contributed to her death.

What happened to Nancy Smith is usually the untold story of the aftermath of a burglary and one of the North East’s most experienced detectives says courts are not taking the ripple effect on victims into account when sentencing.

On March 31, Mrs Smith left her Neil Avenue home at 11.45am to go on one of her regular lunches with her sister-in-law.

She returned at 2.45pm to find her laundry door forced open, her home ransacked and priceless jewellery missing including her wedding ring and a locket that contained a photo of her six-month-old granddaughter who had died.

Notes that bestowed jewellery to some of her 21 grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren were also taken.

Philip Smith and Marg Binnie, two of Mrs Smith’s five children, said their mother changed after the burglary.

“She wasn’t the same. She was stressed out, up all night,” Mrs Binnie, who lives just out of Benalla, said.

“She was violated,” Mr Smith, who lived around the corner from his mother, added.

Mr Smith found his mother collapsed on the floor of her kitchen, coughing up blood.

She was taken to Wangaratta hospital where she died days later on April 18.

Her family are adamant the burglary contributed to her death.

“She had never had a sick day in her life,” Mr Smith said.

Benalla police’s Detective Sgt Rod Smith, a police officer of 38 years, who has investigated hundreds of burglaries, agrees.

“I know people that have sold houses, people that have destroyed belongings that offenders touched, women who have thrown out underwear, people who have gone to exorbitant expenses to secure their home,” he said.

“In Mrs Smith’s case, we’ve seen the ultimate consequence.”

Sgt Smith, no relation, said Mrs Smith’s death would never be taken into account if an offender was sentenced for the burglary.

He has taken an unusual step in criticising the courts; officers publicly commenting on courts and politics are frowned upon by Victoria Police.

Sgt Smith said he was tired of the hardship of the offender outweighing the hardship of the victim.

Police are able to convey the impact on victims in statements but he said it’s largely ignored.

“When offenders are in court they will hear all the sob stories of how they’re drug affected, how they’ve had a bad upbringing, but courts never take into account the consequences for our victims like that someone has died, that someone has lost possessions that can’t be replaced,” he said.

Mrs Smith’s family want the community to know what happened to their fit mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Probus volunteer and Benalla Bowling Club stalwart.

They also want an offender caught and, along with Benalla police, appealed for information.

“Closure is the thing,” Mr Smith said.

Anonymous information can be passed on by phoning Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or Benalla police on (03) 5762 1811.