A Stockton family was left in utter shock when they discovered a burglar had invaded their home while their young child slept soundly upstairs. Shannon Ayre and her partner Connor Duncan, 29, were horrified to wake up on Monday morning to the realisation that his car had been nicked right from outside their abode in Stockton. In the dead of night, as the household slumbered, a man is suspected of prowling the Maritime Road area, testing doors for an easy mark.
The intruder is thought to have exploited Shannon’s keyless motor, rummaged through it, and stumbled upon a spare key to their house tucked away in the central console. He then brazenly entered their residence, located Connor’s keys, and scarpered with his Vauxhall Corsa.
“From what we can see on the CCTV, a male has been going along the street trying car doors,” recounted Shannon and Connor. “He’s managed to gain entry to my keyless vehicle and gone through it. He’s found a spare house key in the middle compartment. He’s entered through the back door,” reports Teesside Live.
Their one year old Labrador, Rupert, began barking, which they suspect might have deterred the thief, yet not before he snatched the keys to Connor’s grey Vauxhall Corsa (SK66 ZFB). “We heard the dog barking but it didn’t last long and we didn’t think anything of it,” Shannon, 29, explained. The theft only came to light when Connor got up for work at 7am and noticed his car was missing.
“I was absolutely distraught, it’s really shook me up. I’m ready to pack up and leave. We always make sure the doors are locked but they must have had some sort of device. It’s really shook us up,” said Shannon.
CCTV footage reveals the vehicle was snatched at approximately 3.55am on Monday morning. The Corsa was running on fumes with just one bar of petrol remaining – roughly 40 to 50 miles’ worth – and Shannon revealed she and a mate have been scouring the locality and checking with petrol stations in case someone has attempted to flog it for scrap.
The family are now pleading for anyone with information to step forward. Shannon added: “It was a relief hearing my daughter’s voice when she woke up this morning. You don’t know people’s intentions. A car is a car., it’s the fact they have been in our home as we slept. My daughter was in there.” Cleveland Police have confirmed a break-in was reported at around 7.25am on Monday, July 14, during which a grey Vauxhall Corsa was nicked containing boxing equipment.