Down's woman is victim of burglars (From Worcester News)

Down's woman is victim of burglars

5:50pm Friday 28th September 2012 in News By Catherine Phillips, Reporter

THIEVES trashed the bedroom of a woman with Down’s syndrome and stole charity box money during the latest in a spate of burglaries in Worcester.

Jayne Riley arrived at her home in Malvern Road, St John’s, with her four-year-old grandson Dax Riley-Williams on Tuesday to discover thieves had ransacked the house taking money and a distinctive Vivienne Westwood necklace.

It is one of 15 burglaries that have been carried out in St John’s area since September 1, causing police to launch a specific operation to counter the break-ins.

Mrs Riley was disgusted to find burglars had taken a small change charity box money she had collected for St Richard’s Hospice, where she works as a volunteer, and ransacked the room of Sarah, a 33-year-old woman with Down’s syndrome who stays with her through the Shared Lives programme.

Mrs Riley said: “Sarah has been with us for seven years and through Shared Lives we provide a safe home for her but now it feels like that has been violated.

“There are pictures of her on the wall in her room so they must have realised she has Down’s syndrome but I suppose these people have no conscience.”

Also taken during the raid was a jar containing roughly £200 in 50p coins but Mrs Riley believes they may have been disturbed by her father Keith Humphreys, aged 71, who had gone through the back garden to his allotment at about 12.30pm.

“I’m just thankful that nobody was hurt,” she said.

The 51-year-old had left the house at 9.15am, driving past at noon to collect her grandson from nursery before coming home at just before 1pm to discover someone had cut a padlock off her gate and forced their way into her conservatory.

Police are asking people to make sure they have secured their property.

Some of the more recent break-ins have targeted student accommodation and police were liaising with the University of Worcester .

Four arrests were made earlier this month and the suspects have been released on bail with curfew conditions.

A further arrest was made yesterday in relation to two offences in Martley Road and Oldbury Road that occurred on Tuesday.

Additional high visibility patrols were also taking place in the area.

Anyone with information about any of the burglaries should call police on 0300 3333000.