text: Paula Palmer said jewellery given to her by husband Dennis on their wedding day was among the items stolen from the house in Barnett Road, Brighton.
  "It's devastating to think people can do that," she said. "I am numb."
  Mrs Palmer said she believed the thieves knew where the occupants of the house were when the break-in happened on Friday evening.
  "We were waiting outside for the hearse to come for a good 20 minutes," she said.
  "It doesn't take long for people to know what you are doing."
  She said she knew something was wrong when she returned home with a group of people.
  "By the time I reached the top of the stairs I could see the devastation in the main bedroom," she said.
  "My husband's jewellery box was broken open, the wardrobe doors were open and all drawers tipped out.
  "I was numb anyway from burying my husband - but to come back, to that I was speechless."
  The stolen jewellery included gold earrings, necklaces and bracelets.
  The thieves also took the keys to Mrs Palmer's grey Kia Ce'ed car, registration BJ09 YBK, and drove it away from the front of the house.
  "It is quite brazen and quite unusual for people to walk out of the front door, get in the car and drive off," said Det Con Richard Valder-Davies.
  "This is an awful crime. This lady was at her husband's funeral. It doesn't get much worse than that."
  Sussex Police have appealed to anyone with information, or who is offered jewellery in suspicious circumstances, to come forward.
target: Thieves ransacked a widow's home and stole jewellery, cash and her car while she was at her husband's funeral.