Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Distraction burglary on the Ladder - Beware
Originally posted by meg benitez on another thread on HoL:
My 79 year old mother is a resident on the Harringay Ladder and has owned her home where she has felt safe for the last 46 years.
On Friday last week at approx 11am the door was knocked by someone pretending to need some water for his car. He was a big built 6 ft man with what the neighbour believes to be a Polish accent.
My mum opened the door to him then closed it and went off to get the water, opened the door to him again and gave him the water then unfortunately opened the door again to be given back the bucket to which he then pushed it in on top of her and proceeded to demand money with the threat of a large kitchen knife.
Fortunately he didnt harm her even though she began to shout and kicked him and made enough noise to attract the attention of the next door neighbour who started ringing my mums bell and asking, 'are you alright mum' to which the burglar opened the front door and ran off.
I have contacted friends who live locally and have heard that there has been 2 other distraction burglaries recently with the same description of the man given and cant help but think that if it were put out in the local media that it may save some other old dear from the same distressing fate. My mum knows not to open the door to anyone but somehow was fooled that morning but feel had she of read of a man operating in local streets previous to Friday-she would have been more wary.
Just wondering why the police do not insist on the news being put out, have read of recent ones in the Enfield area where i live and cant help but think forewarned is forearmed. Please warn any old dears you know locally that may be vunerable to this kind of thing.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Hugh D on
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Really sorry to hear this.
Total low life, imho, folk that prey on and take advantage of the elderly.
Which road was it on, if you don't mind me asking?
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Warham Rd, he went off in a huff after barking at the neighbour who disturbed him and went through the alley and up Seymour, neighbour didnt give chase because my mum warned him of the knife and the description of this guy sounds so scary that im surprised anyone would intervene-he is so built that he looked like he had difficulty moving his heavy legs. Another neighbour told my mums neighbour that he heard him on the phone immediately after entering the alleyway and that he sounded Polish. My mum had a stroke 16 years ago and wouldnt be able to distinguish an accent plus was in fear for her life when he closed the front door so didnt give the best description either. Her immediate neighbour deserves a medal for intervening. On speaking to friends that are local, apparently some old woman was done at the top of Warham Rd recently and another old man but dont know what road. The phorensics may have his fingerprints from the front door and bucket and dna from putting his hand across my mums mouth to quieten her, she called him every name under the sun and thats why the neighbour went banging on her door. Im her carer and my sons are all taking it in turns to stay with her day and night to make her feel safe, she is putting a brave face on it and feels like an idiot but thats what these distraction people do-take your feeling of safety and leave you feeling vunerable.
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Hugh totally agree with you-I consider these peasants to be a w***** burglar not that i approve of any crime but is obv 2 scared to just break in somewhere in case he comes up against a big burly 6ft man that would take his knife and stick it up his nether region so instead he preys on defenceless old dears, he got a bit of a shock with my mother though as she kicked him in the shins and screamed blue murder calling him quite a few choice names, once he had closed the door on her and got her to the bottom of the stairs-she felt she thought her life was over.
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Thanks for letting us know of this. Will certainly warn people. Another warning to those who use Turnpike Lane tube - witnessed someone trying to pickpocket a lady going up the escalator yesterday. He had her hand in her jacket pocket but then saw me watching and moved away.
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Thank you as a warning to the vunerable folk may stop someone else opening their door and thank God they got rid of the long 29's as those buses were designed to let peasants travel free of charge to pick pockets the ones who actually paid their fares.
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Permalink Reply by L F T Snowflake on
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Sorry to hear this, but at the the same time, thanks for letting people know. Hopefully, everyone will now be on the look out. Best wishes to your mother.
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Thanks and if anyone sees a big hefty man acting dodgily get on the phone to the police just incase he preying on some other old dear, what surprises me is the length of time he messed about and risked being seen hanging about before pouncing.
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Permalink Reply by cara howard on
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That's truly awful. I hope your mum is ok. And it's lucky she has good neighbours.
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Thank you-she seems to be. Yes we still figuring out what to get him as a bottle of wine just aint doing it. Thank god he was in and had the tv on low so he knew after 2 mins of listening to shouting that all was not well, we owe him majorly.
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There were also Polish men with yellow work jackets knocking on my friends door which is about 17 houses below my mothers on the day before asking does anyone want windows cleaned but were without any means to do them, ie bukcet-ladder. Dont know if this is a ploy just to see if a vunerable is going to open the door or genuiene but thought i would warn people of that as well as maybe thats the beginning of being targeted.
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Think we may be entering the grey area between reasonable suspicion and paranoia here.
We also had the window cleaning guys.
Seemed very genuine to me.
Would hate to think that all folk going round trying to find decent honest work in these harsh times were given the cold shoulder and seen as suspect simply because they knock on doors.
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