Thieves Target Shildon Home Of Disabled Boy
The family of a little boy with disabilities have been left shaken after thieves targeted their house.
The break-in happened at a property in Raby Gardens, Shildon at around 7am on Saturday, October 31. It was one of four burglaries that occurred in the area overnight from Friday, October 30.
The owner of the house, Darren Heighington, said:
“My five-year-old son Isaac has cerebral palsy and so we have extended our house to create a downstairs bedroom for him. It was Isaac awaking early on Saturday morning that alerted us to intruders in the house.
When I got downstairs I saw someone running from our kitchen. Although a couple of items were taken, one of which happens to have been Isaac's tablet computer with specialist software on which helps him with his visual impairment, we were much more concerned about the welfare of our son.”
DC Emma McCabe said:
“The burglary at Raby Gardens was one of four break-ins that happened on Friday night in the Shildon area. There were also thefts from properties on Jubilee Road and Market Place. Items stolen include a Kindle Paperwhite, a Nexus 9 tablet, a hunting bag and items of clothing and footwear.
Often with these crimes it is not just the items that are stolen but the sense of invasion into a home-owner's space that can affect the victims, who are often left shaken afterwards. I’d like to appeal to anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area overnight on Friday, October 30 to contact police.
All of the houses that had been entered that night had been left, in some way, insecure. I would urge people to ensure that their homes, outbuildings and vehicles are secure each night."
Anyone with information that might help police enquiries is asked to contact DC Emma McCabe on 101, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.