An 84-year-old woman who left her home for an hour to attend the funeral mass of her only sister has spoken of her trauma after heartless thieves targeted her home, stealing pension money and ransacking every room in the house.
Collette McKibbin who lives with her husband Jim (85) in their Glenard home said she hadn’t been able to sleep since the the incident last week. The distraught pensioner said the fact the burglary happened while she was at her sister Josephine’s funeral has made her distress much worse.
“They lifted our pension money but they knew what they wanted. All the ornaments were left and the TV and they didn’t go near that.”
Collette’s daughter Hazel said the family were disgusted.
“We were only out of the house an hour so they must have been watching. Daddy is on crutches and wasn’t going to go to the funeral but the limousine came to pick him up. They didn’t go to the burial so they were back within an hour.
“My brother thought something was wrong when he couldn’t get the key in the door. Then my sister in law looked in the window and saw the mess.”
Collete said it was the first time they had been the victims of criminality.
“We have lived here over 60 years and there was never anything like this happened. I have had people in and out of the house all through the years but there has never been anything like this.”
Hazel said her parents were still in shock.
“Who would stoop so low to do something like this? To rob two people in their 80s is bad enough but to do it when you know they are burying a loved one is just incredible. There’s no words for people like that, we are disgusted.”
PSNI Inspector Roy Watton appealed for information.
“On Wednesday January 7 an elderly couple were burgled while at a family funeral. A large amount of cash and personal property were taken while their home was ransacked and damaged and I would appeal to anyone who has any information in relation to this incident please contact police at Tennent Street on 101 or anonymously via Crimestopper on 0800 555 111."