Worksop family left heartbroken after callous burglars steal Christmas presents

The presents, which had been wrapped and put into bags ready to be placed under the tree on Christmas Eve and gifted to family and friends, were all stolen after burglars broke into a family’s home in the early hours of Tuesday morning (December 21).

The whole family, who live in Manvers Street, Worksop, have now been left utterly heartbroken and without any gifts to open on Christmas day thanks to the heartless behaviour of two criminals.

In a heartfelt plea for any information and witnesses to come forward, mother Samantha Headland has described how her two children have been left in tears.

Samantha, 36, and a full-time mum, said: “How could they ruin our Christmas for our kids and invade our home like this?

“It’s so heartbreaking and it’s more the fact that they’ve stolen the children’s presents and now they don’t have anything to open.”

The family’s children, aged 11 and 12-years-old, have been left in tears and scared in their own home.

Samantha explained how the family also had boxes of sweets and Christmas chocolate on the coffee table which had also been eaten, she believes, as they were being burgled.

“I got up to go to the toilet at around 2.50am and heard whispering and thought it was my children up. I knew it wasn’t my fiancé as he was working nights so it was just me and my children at home.

“I said hello and heard someone knocking about and bumping into things and after saying hello I just heard them swear and then two people ran by the bottom of the stairs out the back.

“I then went immediately into my kid's room thinking all sorts of things.

“I called the police straight away and the operator stayed on the phone with me the whole time she was amazing and the officers got to my house so quickly.

“The burglars had searched the downstairs and upstairs spare room and were busy in the living room when I disturbed them.

“They’ve taken all the Christmas presents – they’ve taken every single one of them.”

The family also reported a Samsung watch, Samsung tablets, rings, a total of £110, pain medication and lateral flow tests had been taken.

Superintendent Kevin Broadhead, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “These children have been left without any presents to open on Christmas day after their parents worked so hard to buy them and carefully wrapped them ready to surprise them on Christmas day.

“No child should be without presents to open on the most special and festive day of the year and for this to happen so close to Christmas it’s incredibly sad.

“People should feel safe in their own homes and go to sleep without having to worry about their homes being broken into.

“Burglaries are a complete invasion into someone’s home and not only have a financial impact but an emotional one too.

“Our officers are working hard to conduct a number of enquiries into this incident, and we are urging anyone who may have any information to come forward to help us with our enquiries.”

Anyone with information is urged to call the police on 101, quoting incident number 37 of December 21 2021.