Robbed

I'm sorry Ashley. 

Very sorry to hear, hope you feel safe again in time and these cowards are caught and dealt with...

I'm glad you and the babies weren't home when the thieves decided to enter.  I also hope that they are caught quickly, before they can strike again.

I'm so sorry to hear that.  I hope that they are caught soon...just glad that you weren't there when it happened.

So sorry to hear about your house being robbed.  I imagine I'd feel the same about the people you pass as well.

Because I was curious, I looked into the idea that you can't have a "bat" for protection and from what I can tell there is no law in the UK that states that you cannot place a bat for self-protection under your bed, near the door, etc. 

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/columnists/article2581201.ece

In fact, the case mentioned in the article i've linked to states that a man who burgled and was hit with a metal bat had no right to compensation as he brought the attack on himeself.  It also states that 1/3 of people in the UK do keep some sort of blunt weapon nearby to protect themselves. Self-defense is fine and it's also fine to commit "premeditated" self-defense, as you can't "premeditate" an actual intruder.

 

I'm so sorry Ashley, how scary and sad. 

I hope they catch the culprits as well.   

The best to you and your family.

Anyone know if Ashley is OK?

Thats so awful Im so very sorry to hear this - as everyone mentioned its a blessing you & your girls were not home at the time. Hope you're feeling better i cant even imagine how scary and stressful this may be - we are all here for you!

Thanks everyone for your kind words.

The insurance company has been very good and approved our claim. They had the door which was broken into replaced, frame included. They fitted a new lock into the door that is designed to break if forced in such a way that the person won't be able to get into the door.  This is the kind of lock we have now (http://www.ciaalarms.co.uk/acatalog/Lock_Cylinders.html) It's worth looking into changing your locks if you have a similar lock in your door. Apparently this kind of theft is very common these days.

We're a little worried about them coming back. Our next door neighbor was robbed twice last year. They just waited until he replaced everything and then got him again. Our problem is that we've recently bought a car. If the car is gone then it's a clear sign that we're probably out. Jon has installed a webcam in our living room that emails us pictures if there is movement detected. It's not much but it makes us feel a bit better.

Gutted about some of the things that we've discovered were taken. One was my high school class ring. How are they going to get rid of that? It's got my name written all over it. I've looked into it and it is possible to replace that but not without a massive amount of hassle. So instead I'll take what money we received for it in the claim and buy a ring that I can wear all the time. Something nice that I could pass onto the girls.

We're not concerned about them coming in when we're home. They are not that kind of thieves. They never would have entered if we were home. I have no doubt that they knocked on the door and checked that we weren't home before trying to break in. It's an opportunity theft. So a baseball bat is not necessary.

Still no news from the police but I'm not surprised about that. I am hoping, however, that if they can find my class ring then they'll be able to trace it back to me. Fingers crossed.

Again, thank you all for your kind words. We're doing alright now. The initial shock has faded and I'm now focusing on the good part: I get to go shopping!

Just seeing this now. Glad everyone is ok Ashley and that the insurance company was decent about it all. Can't imagine coming home to that, and so sorry about the babies pictures.  You have a great attitude though, happy shopping.

I think we had one of the opportunity thieves a lil while ago. We had put the car on ebay ,so we had 2 cars in the drive.  A few days later at about 10pm, my partner had nipped out and I was there alone, a few minutes after he left there was someone banging on the door. I didnt answer it but spoke through the door,the guy said something about wanting to buy the car. It struck me as odd cause there was no address on the auction. My best guess is they searched for cars on ebay near them and pinpointed it out. And when he seen the other car drove off,he thought hed try his luck. Like I told my partner, you wouldnt just go banging on someones door at 10pm about a car u seen on ebay

I know you probably thought about this already,but I'd recommend getting an alarm,that way if they do try and get it,the alarm will sound and they will run away