A Derry woman’s home has been targeted by burglars three times over the past month, it has emerged.
In one incident, thieves broke into Elaine McNamara’s home while she was visiting her dying sister in hospital.
In another, they made off with £700 and her medication, including morphine which she requires for a medical condition.
Miss McNamara, who uses a wheelchair, has now spoken out about the incidents after the funeral of her sister at the weekend.
The break-ins were part of a spate of crimes in which the homes of vulnerable people who require medication were targeted.
The first burglary occurred at Miss McNamara’s home on March 18, with the criminals striking exactly a week later on March 25.
They returned to her Kerrigan Close home in the Brandywell area on Sunday, April 3 when she was visiting her dying sister in hospital.
Her sister has since passed away and was laid to rest at the weekend.
Miss McNamara said that she believes those behind the break-ins were keeping a watch not only on her house, but the homes of other vulnerable people in the area, and entering the dwellings once they leave.
She revealed as a result of one break-in, her details were used by the thieves to fraudulently obtain medication from a local doctor’s surgery.
The 49-year-old, who lives with her daughter Demi, said after having lived at the house for the past eight years, she now wishes to leave as she no longer feels safe.
“The way it is at the minute, I want out,” she told the Derry News.
“They’ve broken in here at least three times that we know of, and they know exactly when we’re out of the house.
“What’s frightening is that when they broke in, they didn’t damage anything, they didn’t ransack the place.
“They knew exactly where to find my purse and the key for the medicine cabinet.”
She added: “What really frightens me is that they’ll try to get into the house when I’m here, because they came in my bedroom window, and I wouldn’t know what to do if that happened.”
Her daughter, Demi (pictured above with her mother), said a relative had to stay in the house while they visited her aunt in hospital to prevent yet another burglary.
“They broke in here when we over at the hospital seeing my aunt, so after that when we were over visiting her again we had to have someone here in the house so that they couldn’t break in again,” she said.
“There’s been people calling at the door too, and we think that was them too, checking to see who was there.”
Demi added the burglars struck within a three hour period while they were visiting her aunt.
“We left here at 6.45pm and returned at 9.45pm, and during that time they were in and got away,” she said.
Demi also spoke of the effect the break-ins had on her mother.
“My mother isn’t someone who scares easily
A resident of the Brandywell area, Majella McClelland, said that there was deep anger within the community that the criminals were preying on its most vulnerable members.
“The Brandywell is a very close knit community that prides itself on looking after each other, especially the elderly and vulnerable, and the people responsible for these break-ins do represent the people who live here,” she said.
“It’s sickening that they are deliberately targeting people who suffer from illness or live alone.
“The community would like to send the message out to people who might feel afraid because of these people to tell their neighbours, tell us and we will help you, and give you any support we can to bring a stop to this.”
She added: “So if you see someone acting suspiciously around an elderly person’s home or the home of someone who doesn’t keep well, tell someone straight away.”
A spokesperson for the PSNI confirmed they were investigating a number of burglaries at Miss McNamara’s home, and appealed for anyone who noticed any suspicious activity in the area or who has any information to contact police in Strand Road on 101.
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