Christmas wrapping paper lay strewn around a Blenheim family's Christmas tree, but they weren't the ones who opened the presents.
The family returned from a Christmas break in the Marlborough Sounds on Tuesday to find their central Blenheim home ransacked.
Their presents were unwrapped and most of them stolen, including gifts for their 12-year-old who has leukaemia.
Father Barry Capill said the thieves must have had a conscience because they had opened but not disturbed a drawer with daughter Sammy Capill's documents from Starship Children's Hospital in it and also turned a photo of her around to face the other way.
"But not enough of a conscience to realise that they would be ruining someone's Christmas," added Sammy's sister, Ashleigh Maddock.
"It's just the icing on top of a bad year," she said.
Connie Whitmore said the burglars had gone through every room taking items of value including a stereo, jewellery, money and a Wii console and took time to open presents under the Christmas tree.
The family had saved their presents to open when Sammy was to be in Blenheim this week. She spent Christmas at Nelson Hospital with her mother after being transferred there from Starship Hospital.
However, she is not yet well enough to leave Nelson Hospital, so they will go over to see her instead.
Ms Whitmore said the family had had a rough year with deaths in the family and Sammy being diagnosed with leukaemia.
She and Barry had spent a lot of time travelling to and from Starship Hospital in Auckland, which meant their children, Ashleigh and Thomas Maddock and Nick Capill, had to spend time with other family members while they were away.
"It's been a terrible year so we decided to take [the children] away on holiday.
"To come home to this is not the best way to end the year, especially the year we've had."
Sammy had spent about three months out of hospital since she was diagnosed last February.
Barry's father had been feeding the cat while the family were away and nothing was awry when he was at the home on Monday afternoon, she said.
The family, who have lived in the house for about a year, are not insured, but had been thinking about getting insurance since the earthquakes in Christchurch.
"Then Sam was diagnosed with leukaemia and everything was pushed way back. All the money was used to buy tickets to go to Auckland."
Also among the stolen items was a jar of money with about $500 that the family had been putting money in for a trip away to Hanmer Springs over Easter.
Ashleigh, who is 15, said she no longer felt safe in her own home, especially when she knew one of the house keys was also taken.
"Home is meant to be a place where you feel completely safe, but not any more," she said.
- The Marlborough Express
SIMON WONG
i am the 15 year old girl from this article , and the reason we dont have insurance is because sammy is fighting cancer and has nearly died on numerus occasions so it wasnt the first thing on our list of to do cause all of our money and time went to her and us to see her. and anna how would you like it if you had to fork out more money when your family doesnt have that much with the sammy thing and now trying to rebuild and replace what these horrible people stole from us . its not cheap to replace what they stole.
@ Lindsey #1; Insurance wouldn't have stopped the burglars breaking into the house, would it?
"but YOU NEED INSURANCE!"
Irrelevant. Insurance may pay a few dollars, but can't compensate for the heartbreak, emotional loss, invasion of privacy in one's own home, etc.
Something needs to be done about the shocking rate of home break-ins in this country. Tougher penalties. More resources for investigation. Et cetera. At the moment, the only time police act is when a home owner takes matters into their own hands, in self-defence. The scumbags get away with impunity, every time.
You dont get much lower than stealing Christmas presents from under the tree. I can also understand how insurance can take a back seat when there are other serious events to take care of. A child with cancer is every parents nightmare. My best wishes go out to the family.
via mobile 12:31 pm Dec 29 2011 Thats so awful!!! There is always someone thats gotta ruin it for somebodys Christmas!!!!!
Sorry Lindsey but like they said they had a child with Leukaemia and they had to do alot of traverling, i think insurance would be the last thing on my mind! hope they catch the them! best of luck family!!!
Sad indeed and I can understand why Ashleigh feels unsafe now...but getting new locks is not a major. And also agree with Lindsey..we all have issues we have to deal with but insurance is essential in this day and age though.
Same story, different family every year.
Sad for them - but YOU NEED INSURANCE!
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