Taxi Driver Online

Brentwood Gazette

August 15, 2007 Wednesday

Home alone raid shocker

A Horrified mother has returned from holiday to find her house raided after her daughter took three strangers home following a night out.

The shocked resident lost thousands of pounds worth of property in cash, jewellery and other items when the men her daughter met at a taxi rank turned out to be thieves.

The woman, who lives off Hanging Hill Lane in Hutton, says she wants the case to act as a warning to other "young gullible people" who are left home alone by their holidaying parents.

The incident happened in the early hours of Friday July 27, but the full extent of the crime was not discovered until several days after the mother returned from Spain on August 5.

The victim, who has asked not to be named, said: "I can't believe what my daughter did. She was going through a rough patch as she had broken up with her boyfriend at the time and had gone on a night out with a friend in Romford.

"At about 11.30pm she was waiting at a taxi rank near Romford Station when she struck up a conversation with three men also waiting for a cab.

"She brought them home for a couple of drinks. They did give her their names but she has never been good at remembering names. She was not falling down drunk but she did have a couple of drinks.

"They were outside on the patio but the men were going inside to use the toilets upstairs and downstairs. At about 3am they phoned a cab and it seems they left."

The 26-year-old did not realise anything was amiss until the next morning when she realised that her mother's TomTom sat-nav system was missing from the house.

She told her mother about the missing item when she flew out to join her in Spain. The full extent of the burglary only became apparent later.

The 53-year-old mother said: "When I first came home I did not see anything else amiss but then I discovered that some cash, a mobile phone, wedding rings of huge sentimental value and a gold chain had also been stolen.

"I can't believe my daughter has been so gullible, so naive and trusting. She is terribly shocked about what has happened."

The daughter did not return from Spain until Friday and has now made a statement to police. Images from CCTV cameras near the taxi rank in Romford may be checked.

Two of the men are described as being very dark skinned and the third man was of more Asian appearance. They were aged in their 20s and of average height.

A spokesman for Brentwood Police said: "It was unbelievably naive of the daughter."
_____________________

And the winner of the TDO 'understatement of the year' goes to the above.

_________________
IDFIMH