In terror after a break-in
A WHITE Rock great-grandmother is afraid to step into her own home following a break-in.
Leonie Eyles was woken up at 2.45am by two men in her Kansas Close bedroom.
“I woke up to a man leaning over me. I screamed and all hell broke loose,” she said.
“They took my rego money, which I wanted to pay in cash, and some of my Christmas money. They also took my phone and my iPad.”
Ms Eyles said police were quick to respond, but not quick enough to catch the men, who ran down the street.
She hasn’t been able to be alone inside the house since.
“My emotional state has been wrecked,” she said. “They don’t realise what happens to the people they rob. What’s left behind is unbelievable.”
Ms Eyles has been staying with a friend and isn’t sure when, or if, she can return to her home.
Tablelands crime prevention co-ordinator Senior Constable Aleda Day said the holiday period was a prime time for opportunistic thieves.
“It doesn’t matter if it is Mareeba, Brisbane, Sydney or Mt Molloy — thieves are opportunistic and it is not necessarily someone in town,” she said.
She said there were simple ways to deter break-ins while away on holidays.
“Install electrical light timers, so it looks like people are home, and ensure external doors and windows are locked,” Constable Day said.
“Make sure any electronic garage door remotes are disabled in case they are found.
“If you can, have a house sitter or talk to your neighbours about collecting your mail and collecting your garbage bin.”