Doggone heartbreak as thieves strike

20 November 2009

Stolen: Gypsy

THIEVES broke into a house and stole a £38,000 Merecedes sports car - and the family dog - on Friday the 13th.

Joe Jackson, from Southend Arterial Road, Romford had his treasured Mercedes SLK and his English Bull Terrier stolen when his house was burgled in the early hours of last Friday.

Joe said: "I just feel really gutted because I spent so much money buying the car which was supposed to be my retirement dream and it has just been taken.

"But I feel really upset about the dog because she was such a likeable character and we all really loved her."

The thieves also made off with his wife's hand bag containing their house keys, bank cards and mobile phone.

Police found the empty hand bag with the smashed up phone dumped in an alleyway near their home.

Invaded

Joe said: "Everything really hurts because I feel that my property has been invaded because it is my castle and it has made me scared the thought that someone has broken in and could easily have been standing over us.

"I feel a bit lucky in a way because things could have been worse as they have the nerve to break into our house when we are just upstairs sleeping."

Joe, 62 who is due to retire in a couple of years, had brought the car as a early retirement present for himself and had just finished the last payment on it a month ago.

The family brought 12-month-old Gypsy from Battersea dog's home two months ago.

He said: "I just cannot believe her luck because she was picked up by the dog's home and was starving and underweight and then we got her, built her up and now she has gone.

"With that type of dog no one knows what she is going to be used for."

Joe believes that his car may never be found but desperately wants his dog to be returned home safely.

He said: "To have everything else back would be great but we do want to get the dog back because she was a real character and we had just got use to her and she was very likeable."

The police are appealing for witnesses.