Darlington six-year-old burglary victim hopes to help young victims of crime by giving them donated gadgets

A little boy whose home was broken into by a burglar is hoping to bring a smile to other young victims of crime by giving them donated gadgets.

Alfie Webster’s beloved iPad and Nintendo 3DS were stolen by an intruder who broke into the home he shares with his mum, Tanya, in the middle of the night.

As well as stealing the six-year-old’s games consoles, the burglar also took jars containing money from the dining room of their home in the Branksome area of Darlington.

After appealing on social media for the items to be returned, the pair were overwhelmed with the response. Within days, several people – including total strangers - had donated a number of tablets and games consoles to replace the ones that were stolen.

Six-year-old Alfie has now decided to donate the surplus items to other children who have also been victims of crime.

The Mount Pleasant Primary School pupil said: “I really want to help other people like they helped me. I was really sad when it happened because I liked my iPad and my DS. It was very kind of people to give me some new ones, so I want to be kind back.”

He added: “I thought the man must have stolen them because he was a dad, and his child was desperate for an iPad or a Nintendo. If he was, I would have just shared mine with him.”

The burglary happened overnight between Thursday, September 6 and Friday, September 7.

Now the pair are urging anyone who has an old tablet, console or games to get in touch so they can donate them to other people who have gone through a similar ordeal. So far, four Nintendos have been donated, as well as an iPad, Samsung Galaxy tablet, Xbox and PlayStation One.

“I’ve been saying to Alfie that for every one bad person, there are hundreds of good ones ready to lift you back up – and this has proven that,” said Tanya.

“Since the burglary happened, we’ve been overwhelmed by people’s generosity. Because people have been so kind to us, we just want to give something back and turn a negative into a positive.”

“I was really shocked when the burglary happened. The thought of someone going through your home and through your stuff made me feel sick,” added Tanya.

“I’ve lived here as a single mum for four years and I have always felt fine. But now, for the first time, I don’t feel safe in my own home.

“We have been so grateful for all the help and support we have received since the burglary. We just hope that by showing some kindness to other people it might show them that there are good people in the world who are willing to help.”

Anyone who would like to donate an item should contact Tanya directly through Facebook (profile name Tanya.Webster.79).

A 31-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of burglary and the investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with any information on the incident should contact Durham Constabulary on 101, quoting incident number 57 of September 7