A BRAZEN thief broke into a Palmerston home while a mother and her child were asleep in the living room.

Mum Rachael Andrews said the man entered through a back door and walked over the sleeping mother and changed the channel on the television to the Cartoon Network to distract her one-year-old daughter. The distraction did not work as young Mia sounded the alarm, upset when her favourite show Sophia the First was changed.

Rachael said she was angry that the offender came in even after seeing the young family.

“I’m not happy he had the nerve to break in here,” she said.

When Rachael woke up and realised what happened she was so shocked that she was physically sick.

“I went and vomited, he could have killed me, it freaked me out,” she said.

Her iPhone was stolen along with two six packs of alcohol, an iced coffee, two shot glasses and an internet modem. A laptop sitting on the living room table was untouched.

She was able to locate and recover the smartphone using a tracking app.

Rachael lives with her daughter Mia Cahenzli and her mother Kate Andrews in the Palmerston suburb of Moulden.

Kate said she was concerned for other people who may not have the same support from friends and family as they had following the ordeal.

“What about older people or single mums who don’t have family with them?” she said.

“This is my house, I’ve been living here for 25 years, you don’t expect anyone to come in through the backyard.”

Kate said she did not think the thief would have come into the home if he had known which house he was entering.

She said her collection of pet snakes, guard dogs and a duck named Boss would keep any would-be burglars at bay.

NT Police Duty Superintendent Helen Braam said the matter was an “active investigation”.