Elderly woman dies just weeks after being burgled
A daughter has spoken of her disgust after her 88-year-old
mother was left greatly distressed after being burgled and then
died of natural causes just weeks later.
Between 2.50pm and 5.45pm on January 5, 2012 two suspects gained
entry to the house in Clickett Hill in Basildon and searched
through her belongings.
The woman woke to find them in the house and they slid past
her before escaping empty-handed.
The victim was left very traumatised by the incident and feared
living by herself. She sadly died of pneumonia just over two weeks
later.
Her daughter, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: "My mum had
been receiving help from carers since December, but up until that
point she had managed to maintain a lot of independence and she
wanted to stay at home for as long as possible.
"After the burglary, she was terrified of being at home, and I
couldn’t believe the change in her overnight. The next morning, she
was so frightened and shocked by what had happened I called a
paramedic to be on the safe side as I was also worried that she had
an infection. They took her to hospital and kept her in for nearly
a week and she told the hospital she was too frightened to go home.
After being taken into a care home, she then died days later.
"Going through a burglary in the last weeks of her life really
robbed my mum of enjoying the little bit of life she had left.
Burglars don’t appreciate the impact their selfish actions have on
their victims, particularly when they are elderly like my mum.
"Whoever these boys are that did this, they must have mums and
grandmothers and I would ask them how would they feel if their
loved one had been so upset and traumatised in the last weeks of
their life? And for what gain?
"She was deaf blind with five percent vision, and totally
defenceless, and it was a tribute to her that she managed to stay
at home for this long on her own.”
Police now want to hear from anyone who was in the area at
the time and may have seen who did this.
Investigating officer Dc Kerry McCarthy said: "Although the victim
was blind as she suffered from macular degeneration, she still had
some vision left and could see things lower down. She distinctly
remembers seeing two youths wearing black trousers. Were you in
this area at the time and did you see anyone loitering about
looking at houses? If you did, you could hold information vital to
our investigation.
"Criminals often brag about what they have done and I am
appealing to the conscience of anyone who may know who did
this to tell us. We desperately want to catch these two suspects to
make them face up to their actions and to bring some closure for
the victim’s daughter whose harrowing words about how her mother
suffered should serve as a good enough reason to shop these
burglars in.”
Police also want to reassure residents that overall crime is
still low, and that it is rare for a victim to confront a burglar
in their home. Dc McCarthy added: "This is was a very unfortuate
thing for this elderly lady to go through near the end of her life.
I want to reassure residents that we actively patrol all areas of
Basildon day and night, but it is common sense for residents to be
aware that crime can happen.
"By double locking uPVC doors by throwing the handle upwards and
locking it with the key and then removing the key, you have a very
secure door that is hard to force. If you have elderly relatives,
make sure you check they are locking up properly, and above all
keep an eye out in your neighbourhood, and if you see anything
suspicious, report it to police immediately.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Dc Kerry
McCarthy at the Basildon CID target offender team on 101 or call
Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.