A woman from Co Antrim has spoken of her devastation as a number of sentimental pieces of jewellery were taken from the family home in a burglary earlier this week.
Sarah McLaughlin, from Ballymena, said her brother had left the house early in the morning on Tuesday, December 13, to go to work delivering prescriptions. When he returned after 5pm, he found the back door was open and several drawers in the home had also been left open.
From these drawers, a number of sentimental pieces of jewellery were stolen, including Sarah's dad's gold Jaeger-LeCoultre watch he bought in 1964, his gold wedding ring with three diamonds, and her grandfather's rose gold pocket watch.
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"Daddy passed away in 2019, then my mummy passed away about six months after. Now it's like we've lost him all over again," Sarah told Belfast Live.
"We had sorted out bits and pieces, my brother is sorting out my dad's jewellery. My brother still lives in our family home and he was out at work, and someone has broken in during the day and taken all the gold.
"The watch was very, very treasured. My daddy bought it in 1964 at a jewellers in Cornmarket, we still have the certificate that went with it. It was a big deal at the time.
"My dad was in a showband called The Freshmen back in the '60's, so he had a wee bit more money then. Then he had a lovely ring he wore every day of his life, and that's gone as well as my grandad's pocket watch.
"It's heartbreaking because it just brings it all back. Things you want to pass onto grandsons, just all gone."
Sarah said people have been so supportive in the search for the items, with over 2,000 shares on a Facebook post and retweets on Twitter.
She has asked for anyone who knows where the items may be to contact police, and has appealed to the perpetrators to come forward.
Sarah said: "The police have been very good, and the crime prevention officer has been going around local jewellers. They've reached out to some jewellers in Belfast too who would maybe be offered this kind of thing.
"They've been brilliant as well, McNeilly's in Belfast offered to take the photo around the different pawn shops to make them aware of it. People have been so brilliant, which makes it feel a bit better to know there's good people out there.
"Somebody maybe did something stupid, and if they regret it, they can just return the items and there'll be nothing said."
Detectives in Ballymena are appealing for information and witnesses following a report of a burglary on the Cushendall Road on Tuesday, December 13.
Detective Sergeant Macaulay said: “Police received a report that a burglary had taken place at a property sometime between 7.30am and 5.30pm on Tuesday.
"Upon the victim’s return to their home, the back door was open and several drawers in the home had been left open. Two distinctive watches one gold, the other a rose gold pocket watch, had been taken and a gold wedding ring with three diamonds.
"This has been a distressing ordeal for the victim, especially in the lead up to Christmas and our investigation is underway. We appealing to anyone who was in the area on Tuesday or noticed any suspicious behaviour between the hours the incident is believed to have happened to contact us on 101 quoting reference number 1550 13/12/22."
You can submit a report online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/.
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