Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

We have been robbed, my teen boys were in the house..

174 replies

Hendecan · 14/04/2021 11:45

I feel so shaky. I took my girls to an art club and my teen boys were in the house.
Thankfully my boys were not harmed or injured. The robbers forced their way in. We live in a detached property in a rural area. They took all my jewellery.
I feel sick- they were probably watching the house.

OP posts:
Ihopeyourcakeisshit · 14/04/2021 12:29

Bloody hell! How awful for you all.
Glad your boys weren't hurt.
A bit suss that they went straight for your jewellery.

paralysedbyinertia · 14/04/2021 12:29

@Notsoaccidentproneanymore, I'm so sorry that they took your ds's stuff. That must have been really upsetting.Flowers

Plumtree391 · 14/04/2021 12:30

That is dreadful, very scary for your children. I hope they're OK.

Hopefully the law catch the culprits, they did when we had a spate of burglaries around our way some years ago.

Flowers
tenredthings · 14/04/2021 12:31

How did they know where the box was ? If they've been watching the house how come they thought it was empty ? Have you had any workmen in recently ? Do your boys have any dodgy friends ?

HollowTalk · 14/04/2021 12:35

Are you in the UK, OP? I'm surprised at your daughter going to art club.

It does sound as though it's someone who knows your house. Can you trust the tradespeople you've had? What about your sons' friends?

Do you have any CCTV on the outside?

lurker101 · 14/04/2021 12:35

When we were burgled the police said that many people keep their valuables in similar places, so burglars know where to look - going back decades my grandmother’s freezer was emptied by burglars looking for hidden cash, which was apparently popular at the time. We didn’t even know we had been burgled for hours because the place was not disturbed they knew where to look, so don’t automatically worry that your home had been watched OP. Similarly, only one of our devices were taken despite being alongside the jewellery that was taken. We were told jewellery is much easier to sell on. They also left obviously new semi-valuable items that they couldn’t have missed (presumably due to difficult resale)

Chemenger · 14/04/2021 12:36

We were burgled a couple of years ago by a couple of elderly opportunist thieves (we caught them on security cameras, they were arrested and convicted). They didn't take anything except a few items of cheap jewellery because their modus operandi was to stick what they took in a jiffy bag and post it to themselves in the nearest post box to avoid being caught with the good on them. They were not interested in cheque book, electronics or anything bulky. Unfortunately for them we were living in the US at the time and most valuables had been removed, we have footage of one draping a poundshop kid's "silver" bracelet over their wrist quite admiringly. The police were brilliant, they waited for my daughter to drive down from university and helped her to arrange to make the house secure.
It is a horrible feeling, I have been burgled three times, the first time I was asleep in bed, the second time I came home with two small children in the car and disturbed them. Luckily they ran away, with what they had in their pockets. All the jewellery I inherited from my mother went in that robbery. They were caught and jailed as well. The children were really upset, we had to make a big show of locking the door etc for a while. Burglars are total scum in my eyes.

Creepygnochi · 14/04/2021 12:37

@Hendecan

It happened yesterday at 11am. The boys were studying all night for their A'levels so I let them sleep in. I left at 10am. The police were really helpful and came quickly because they were concerned about the boys. I feel so tearful and in shock. Im not showing anything because of my little girls but inside I am so sad and feel so violated. They didnt take macbooks, ipads or anything. Made a beeline for the jewellery which was hidden in a safe box.

Thank you everyone who has messaged. I really appreciate your kindness.

Do you think perhaps your boys would appreciate a little bit of shock and emotion on your end? They're the ones who have just suffered through a traumatic experience, not your daughters.
Chemenger · 14/04/2021 12:38

Did they ring the doorbell? That's how ours figured out we weren't in, and the fact there was no car on the drive.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 14/04/2021 12:38

Did they seem to know exactly where the safe box was? Would imply they had been told or had been inside the house before

I wondered about thatg myself, but anyway I'm so sorry OP - it's a dreadful thing to happen and you must feel thoroughly shaken

Coronawireless · 14/04/2021 12:43

They say you often “know” your burglar. People like workmen, cleaners, even your alarm company or even your friends may sell on info.
I always make a point of telling everyone there’s nothing in our house to steal. We don’t have a safe.

Coronawireless · 14/04/2021 12:46

Sorry to hear this happened btw.

CaveMum · 14/04/2021 12:47

So sorry to hear this OP. Glad that your boys are ok, but be kind to yourself - it’s totally understandable that you are shaken.

I’ve heard that recent burglaries in our local area show that burglars are ignoring valuables like laptops, phones, iPads, etc as they tend to be password protected and therefore worthless in terms of resale. Jewellery and car keys are the prime target - a friend of mine was burgled last year, all they took were the keys to her brand new BMW that they’d only taken delivery of the week before - they’d obviously been watching the house.

LemonTT · 14/04/2021 12:48

I was considering a safe once and asked a police friend who told me not to bother. That they would go straight for that. He suggested using those fake baked bean tins in a store cupboard.

I agree ipads are basically tracking devices.

Abraxan · 14/04/2021 12:49

@HollowTalk

Are you in the UK, OP? I'm surprised at your daughter going to art club.

It does sound as though it's someone who knows your house. Can you trust the tradespeople you've had? What about your sons' friends?

Do you have any CCTV on the outside?

Children's extra curricular activities can now happen iirrr. My nephew has returned to his sport activities as well as his language class. My cousin's dd has returned to drama club this week too.

OP - did your boys sleep through it or were they woken? How are they?

We were broken into when we were in bed one night. Dh and I woke up with the alarm. Dd slept through it.

For us, it was car keys they wanted. They managed to grab some but took the wrong keys. Took dh's work keys!

Abraxan · 14/04/2021 12:50

And yes, they walked past all the electronic devices in the study and elsewhere. They weren't interested in the iPads and laptops at all.

UseYourIllusion · 14/04/2021 12:50

@Coronawireless

They say you often “know” your burglar. People like workmen, cleaners, even your alarm company or even your friends may sell on info. I always make a point of telling everyone there’s nothing in our house to steal. We don’t have a safe.
Back in the 80's my Aunt collected Doulton figures (when they were worth something), she also had a large, soft as a brush doberman.

She was burgled, 90% of the figures were stolen, but the weird part was that Police recovered a pillowcase they had dropped and in it were a couple of smaller figures and a handwritten note explaining the dogs name and that it was friendly. Obviously someone that had been in the house but they never worked out who and nobody was ever charged.

Sorry this has happened to you OP.

CandyLeBonBon · 14/04/2021 12:51

Thanks op. That's horrible.

UCOinanOCG · 14/04/2021 12:52

How would they know where the safebox was hidden?

TheQueef · 14/04/2021 12:58
Flowers I've been burgled and sympathise completely. It is a violation and the lads being at home an extra worry.

Jewellery is easy to weigh in, especially the 24crt popular amongst Pakistani families for wedding sets. Much easier to fence than electronics.

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 14/04/2021 13:02

That's dreadful - I'm so sorry. Glad the boys weren't hurt by them, that would have been so much worse.
I was burgled years ago and also lost my jewellery - some of it family stuff from my grandparents, which really really hurt - it's horrible. I also lost my camera with photos of a country I'd just returned from visiting - the films would have just been discarded, but those memory photos were priceless to me and were just lost.

I was out at the time, but got a burglar alarm installed after that, which prevented a repeat occurrence, thankfully! We know it did, because I came home and found the video player pulled out from where it should have been (it was decades ago) and the window open.

I HATE burglars and thieves with a passion - how very fucking dare they!

HollowTalk · 14/04/2021 13:05

I think the punishment for burglary should be much worse. It's everyone's nightmare - particularly women's - the idea of someone being in your home.

ExConstance · 14/04/2021 13:08

We were burgled 2 years ago, part of a series of burglaries in rural properties near an a road, three im our village and 5 in the next village down the road. In all cases the burglars lept a fence, gt in through smashing windows or french doors at the back and took only jewellery, with the exception of a couple of houses where there was anice car o;n the drive and keys left out, then the car got taken too. No forensics bar a couple of footprints on the carpet. They know where to look, basicaly top drawers in chests of drawers. They also may have clocked the house was epty for 2 hours on that day of the week on a regular basis.

Peeteea · 14/04/2021 13:09

I’m so sorry this happened OP. I had an aggravated burglary in my home at knife (and other weapon) point and it was the most horrifying experience. My best advice is focus on your boys and their emotional wellbeing. I was only a year or two older than your boys when it happened to me and I suffered horrible PTSD from the experience which took a little while to kick in, and it was the same for my then partner.

Even if they say they are fine, please keep a watch on them, ensure they know that any delayed response they might have to the event is still valid, that they will be supported and include them in discussions about any safety measures you might take to reinforce your property if you decide to make any adjustments- it may well do them good to know what is in place in response to this!

Wishing you all the best and that your boys are ok.

VladmirsPoutine · 14/04/2021 13:10

I'm so sorry to hear this. Apart from of course it's wonderful your boys are okay I empathise at how much of a violation it is. An utter shock! I'm so sorry!

Swipe left for the next trending thread