By Aneeka Simonis
A TERRIFIED mum of four returned home on Saturday 13 August to find her Pakenham rental burgled in broad daylight, only to be retargeted by the thieves twice again that night.
She said her children, aged five months to six years of age, will require counselling to get past the harrowing invasion of their perceived safe haven.
The brazen gang, who travelled in a four wheel drive, even came back to the family’s Fallingwaters Drive home in the late afternoon to pinch the car, but drove off after discovering the whole family out the front of the house awaiting police detectives.
Instead, they returned after dark – using the earlier stolen keys to rev the car in the family’s driveway before taking off into the night.
The Pakenham mum, who did not wish to be identified, said she, her husband and four kids slept on mattresses in the lounge room after the repeated attack.
She is seeking victims of crime compensation to pay for counselling for her shaken little ones.
“My kids are terrified. My four-year-old boy didn’t want to go back inside,” she said, adding it took a lot of convincing to get him and the other kids back inside the house.
After watching a relative play football in Gembrook, the family returned home around 5pm to find their home ransacked.
“There was glass everywhere,” said the mum.
Offenders broke into the family’s home of two months by smashing the glass door to the laundry.
Almost every room of their home had been ransacked – particularly the kitchen and master bedroom.
“They went through everything. It was completely trashed,” she said.
Keys to their blue-grey Holden were among the items stolen including iPads and old phones.
The young kids were inconsolable following the discovery the burglars had been in their home.
The mum said she had to drive them around the block several times to try and calm them down while their dad was waiting for police to arrive.
She believes the offenders were parked up the road from their home when they made the discovery, and believes they drove up to the house to steal the car about 5.30pm – but were “spooked” as they saw the family waiting outside for police.
Recovering from the traumatic intrusion, the family had not even turned out their lights when offenders returned to finally steal the car at 9.30pm.
They were loud, revving the car several times in the driveway as if to let the shaken family know they were there and wouldn’t be stopped, the mum explained.
“Our blinds were still open and the lights were on. They would have seen us sitting in the front room,” she said.
Her husband ran outside, but only saw the back of the car as it sped away into the distance.
Three baby seats that were inside the car when it was stolen were found dumped on McCubbin Drive, Pakenham, hours later.
The mum said her three older kids are still sleeping together in the lounge room, at this stage too afraid to return to their own rooms.
“I am trying to organise counselling for the kids,” she said.
The family intends to install CCTV and upgrade their home alarm system following the invasion.
They also intend to campaign the government to fix “under resourced” police numbers in the area.
“The police were fantastic, but they are so under resourced. I am going to petition for more police to get out there and make Pakenham residents feel safe,” she said.
“Crime is getting out of control. If there were more of a police presence, criminals would be less likely to be so brazen.”
She observed about four males casing her house in the four-wheel drive, but gave no further description to police or the Gazette.
A number of other cars were stolen over the weekend in Pakenham – one similarly stolen after a previous burglary attempt.
Police said a Loxton Way home in Pakenham was burgled between 11am – 6.15pm on Saturday 13 August.
Offenders smashed into the house, stealing a number of goods including electronics and jewellery before returning hours later to steal the victim’s black Ford Territory loaded with trade tools about 2am.
Pakenham police Senior Sergeant Nathan Prowd received reports the stolen car was sighted with a white car.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
