Burglars threaten scared autistic boy as he watches TV
The magnificent birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill and home of the eleventh Duke and Duchess of Marlborough – in all its Christmas glory. Browse the Living Crafts for Christmas fair at the palace and enjoy a trip to Stratford-upon-Avon on this break.
Entrance to Blenheim Palace ‘Living Crafts for Christmas’ fair, including Blenheim Palace and Gardens
A visit to Stratford-upon-Avon
One night’s bed and English breakfast accommodation in a three-star standard hotel in the Midlands area
Coach travel from the local area
Escorted by a friendly tour manager
AN AUTISTIC primary school child was threatened when intruders broke into a Southport family’s home.
Two men forced a back window of the home in the early hours of Friday morning and walked to an upstairs living room where the boy was watching superhero film The Avengers.
They reportedly demanded that the eightyear-old tell them where the family’s car keys were.
The terrified boy told them and the pair crept into the bedroom where his mum, 35, and two sisters, aged four and five, were sleeping, and took the keys.
The burglars left the property in Manchester, where the family now live, in the BMW X1 at around 4.13am.
A Manchester City kit and a football, which comfort the boy while he’s getting ready for school, were inside the vehicle, as well as a pram.
The mum, who wishes to remain anonymous, said her son was so scared that he hid underneath a blanket after the burglary until the rest of the family woke up.
The youngster’s condition means that he can’t always sleep, despite attending sleep help courses with his mum and having been prescribed medication to help the problem from an early age.
The house is also “autism proofed”, with cupboards locked to ensure his safety, and though he sometimes wakes his mum up when he wakes during the night, this time he decided to quietly watch TV on his own.
When the rest of the family woke a few hours later, the frightened boy repeatedly apologised for letting the burglars know where the keys were. His mum said she can accept the car being stolen but not what the ordeal her son had to endure.
She said: “My little boy was sat on the couch. They asked him ‘where are mummy’s keys?’
“They came into the bedroom where the girls were asleep with me.
“They took the car and he stayed under the blanket until I woke up.
“Someone took advantage of a boy with autism. He said there were two of them. I am very scared. He is now blaming himself.”
She added: “Inside the car was a football kit and a new Manchester City football. He has a new one every four weeks.
“He carries it everywhere. He has started a new school and it was helping him to go.
“He keeps saying he wants his football back. It is the fact they have come in and it is a little boy. He is blaming himself.”
A GMP spokesman confirmed that officers were called shortly before 9.20am on Friday, September 21, to a report of burglary at an address in Longsight.
They added: “An unknown offender forced entry to the property before stealing keys to a black BMW car.
“The offender then exited the property and stole the car.”
Greater Manchester police are investigating the incident.