PTSD sufferer loses crucial tools Veteran ‘sick’ after robbery
AN ARMY veteran feels “sick to his stomach” after thieves stole more than $6000 in tools and equipment from his home while he slept, saying youth crime “has to stop”.
Phillip Lawlor, 54, woke on Saturday morning to find his woodworking power tools and expensive fishing gear gone, but says the equipment meant more to him than most realise as he struggles with PTSD.
“I’ve served overseas on active operations a number of times and I rely on these small hobby projects to keep me mentally stable,” he said.
“It’s devastating.” Mr Lawlor, who is a keen recreational fisherman, moved to his large rural block at Kelso about 10 years ago, finally settling in Townsville after 20 years moving around the country in the army. He thought his block was safe, as it backed on to bushland, but about 2.30am on October 17 a group of thieves invaded his bubble of privacy.
Mr Lawlor and his family were asleep when the thieves came over their back fence and into his shed, taking his fishing rods and about nine power tools he used in woodworking projects, like serving boards and platters, which he made for his family.
He suspected all of the stolen items would be worth more than $6000 and about two or three people were involved in the theft.
Mr Lawlor said he had never had anything like this happen to him before, but he was among thousands of Townsville residents broken into in the past 12 months which pushed the city’s rate of break-ins to the worst in the state.
“We have to now harden our security up … neighbours are now going out to buy sensor lights to put on their houses ad sheds … and possibly CCTV.
“This just cannot continue, it has to stop.
“On a daily basis things are happening in the community and its young criminals … they have to have a deterrent to not do this to people within their community.
“We all live in the same community … why do some people think it’s OK to do this?”
Mr Lawlor, who is now a retired pensioner, says he worked hard for everything he has.
“For these people to come and take that away from us … it’s just disgusting.
“I can’t absorb it.”