Mum left shattered by callous intruder

IT’S an invasion of privacy no one should have to endure, and now one family has been left feeling like prisoners in their own home because of one thief’s callous act.

When Jacinta King and her five children left their Rangeville home on the morning of June 29, they never anticipated they would come back to find it had been broken into and their most cherished belongings stolen.

The family arrived home and found parts of their home had been trashed and a thief had entered the house by smashing the fixed side of the double glass sliding door in the loungeroom.

Police believe the incident occurred between 10am and 11.30am.

“We live in a beautiful area in Toowoomba, we love our house and we love our street, but now we feel like prisoners in our own home,” Ms King said.

“The kids and I are terrified – every little noise makes us jump, and everything is locked.”

And while Ms King would like all her belongings returned, it’s the loss of the sentimental and irreplaceable items which have caused the most indescribable pain.

This includes clippings from the first haircuts her children ever received, their first teeth they lost, their umbilical cords, engraved baby bracelets and a memorial heart for her baby who passed away.

“We feel terrible, shaken up and just disgusting really … I have no idea how we’re going to get through this and replace everything,” Ms King said.

“What breaks my heart the most is a lot of the things taken would be absolutely useless to everyone else and will probably be dumped if that hasn’t happened already.”

Among the other items stolen were Ms King’s entire jewellery collection, including a Pandora bracelet with charms, her husband’s watch and their wedding rings.

Many of her children’s belongings were also taken, including a school laptop, a mobile phone and two Nintendo Switches, Apple iPads and pairs of shoes.

“Every valuable and sentimental thing we own has been taken,” Ms Kind said.

“But I’m so thankful we weren’t here, and that no one was hurt.”

According to data from the Queensland Police Service (QPS), 2005 incidents of unlawful entry and 68 robberies have occurred in the local government area of Toowoomba in the past 12 months.

The data also shows 3298 incidents of theft, excluding unlawful entry were recorded during this time.

A QPS spokeswoman confirmed Ms King had filed a police report with details including the missing items and damages to the sliding door.