Kid barged in my house

[Ontobetterthings]

I wfh today. I had a load of banging on the door. I answered it thinking it was a delivery. There was a boy there about 12. I thought maybe he come round to see my son though I didn't know him. My son is at sports camp today though

Before I could even say anything he ran in my house and barged past me and tried to get up the stairs. I grabbed him by the arm and asked him what he was doing. I was worried as my daughter was in bed and didn't want anyone I don't know upstairs.

I asked him repeatedly what he was doing and he wouldn't answer
He just kept trying to get up the stairs. I said you don't barge into people's houses. Eventually he said toilet. I was thinking perhaps he could go to my downstairs toilet but he ran off. I don't think English was his first language. I noticed he wasn't wearing any shoes either.

I just feel very shaken by the whole thing.

Call the bloody police! A CHILD needs help regardless of what his motivations were.

It was this. Sent in to rob you OP. Jewellery/valuables kept upstairs.

What happened next? This is a bit vague. Did you get any information from him? If you've got a ring doorbell I'd definitely report (pic might be helpful) - otherwise I dunno, depends on if he told you anything, or if your son knew him etc.

There is no irony.
Also you can't read.

I said you can still ring the police without letting them into your house.

Of course everyone is someone's child.
Hitler was someone's son - so what?

People have a duty to their own children first and others second.

Indeed.

I reported it to the police and they phoned to say exactly this. He is an autistic and non verbal boy who has an obsession with toilets. He has done it to loads of houses this morning.

Oh FFS!
It was a child robber/scammer!
Plenty of them about.

Convenient. Keep your wits about you regardless.

I don't believe this story. What a waste of time.

If this is the case I hope the police have got SS involved.

An autistic and non verbal boy who has an obsession with toilets, barging in and out of people's houses, makes him extremely vulnerable and your neighbours too.

thief - he's distracting you to go upstairs while others enter the back of the house & steal

I would ring non emergency police number. Whether it's a child in need or an attempt at theft, it would need to be on their radar.

Children’s services won’t do anything about this. It happens more often than you might think.

You don't know that for a fact.

Anyway, I'm sure the police will contact them as a matter of course.

Before someone hurts him.

I'm going to get a chain on my door as I think he must live locally. I don't want it happening again.

I understand you were panicked but a child without adequate clothing or a grasp of English ran into your house, was it not obvious he was in desperate need of help? If he was fleeing modern slavery or abuse you sent him straight back to his traffickers and the situation will be 100x worse now he's tried to get away and failed.

Yes, get a chain. I always have a look at who is at my door before I open it, and I live in a quiet area. Definitely wouldn't just open it if someone was banging loudly.

There. A vulnerable child.

All of you doing mental gymnastics on an Olympic level to absolve yourselves of any social responsibility, have a good hard think.

Of OP's shoes?

Wonder where his parents are?

Likely frantically looking for their son, if my neighbours are anything to go by.

As others have said I would be concerned he needed help. It's giving the vibes of that case in America. But that boy was absolutely able to communicate with the neighbour. Or he might have just got the wrong house thinking it was a relatives or friends house. I've walked in the wrong house myself. Same door 5 doors down.

Poor kid. Hopefully he's safe home now.

Fucking hell. Did you not read OP's updates?