One of the rooms in the Simon family’s home which was broken into and ransacked while they attended a family funeral.
HEARTLESS THIEVES struck in Bridgetown last week when they broke into and ransacked the home of a family who were attending the funeral of a close relative who had died in a tragic accident.
The Simon family attended the funeral of Michael Bates, the brother-in-law of Bridget Fallon-Simon, on Tuesday last and were dismayed, on their return home around 7 p.m. to find that the house had been entered and ransacked.
Bridget explained: “They got in through my daughter’s bedroom window and destroyed her room and ours. But I think they must have been disturbed at some point because they left certain things behind that we were surprised at.”
She believed the thieves gained entry at the back of the house where they wouldn’t have been seen due to the presence of a ditch and she believed that the thieves had to have local knowledge.
Among the items taken was her daughter’s savings of €350 had been taken in the break-in, remarking that it was her first time earning money for herself and she had intended to deposit the money in a credit union account.
The thieves also made off with vintage pearls given to Bridget by her mother, rings given to her husband Lance by his later father and other items of jewellery and christening gifts.
“It was heartbreaking that those items were taken. It’s not about the monetary value of them – a lot of what was taken wouldn’t be worth much at all – but it’s more about the sentimental value and all of the memories associated with these items. None of that can be replaced.”
[Full story in this week’s Echo]
