Ngaruawahia family robbed of Christmas presents

  • Breaking
  • 24/12/2014

Christmas Eve is a time for loved ones to start gathering for the big day ahead – Christmas lunch prepared, festive spirits in high stead and presents under the tree.

But one Ngaruawahia family has been robbed of that this eve.

It's not the way volunteer firefighter Brad Taylor thought he'd be spending Christmas Eve.

"They've ripped that down, smashed the board through and reached through and unlocked the door from the inside and come in," he says.

It's certainly not what he wanted to tell his four-year-old nephew, Luca, who was looking forward to getting some of his favourite toys.

"They've gone straight for the presents under the tree here, as well as electronics like the laptop and PlayStation from by the TV there," says Mr Taylor. "They've just ripped open by the looks of it to see what presents are in there."

When Mr Taylor's house was burgled, it wasn't just the family presents that were stolen; irreplaceable photos and 25 war medals belonging to his grandparents went too.

"I just can't put into words how depressing that is, that you can't replace them. They don't know what it is or what it means. To them it's just easy money, maybe."

Tracking down the culprits is near impossible as no fingerprints were left, which means no presents for dinosaur-loving Luca. 

"Now I can't have any presents," says Luca.

They'll still have fun this Christmas. Toys can be replaced, but the best present now would be if someone sends the missing medals back.

Police are urging anyone with information on the burglary to contact the Ngaruawahia police station on (07) 824 8199.

  • Since we ran this story, police and the fire service, where Mr Taylor is a volunteer, have been inundated with phone calls of people wanting to help. The medals have not yet been found, but Mr Taylor's four-year-old nephew Luca, who was looking forward to toy dinosaurs for Christmas, has had a special delivery from Santa.

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source: newshub archive