I was a victim of crime
Friday 9 February 2007
When watching the news or reading the papers, you might worry about crime.
We chat to two readers who were victims of crime and find out how they coped with the effects.
We were burgled
"It's the thought that they'd been in the house while I was asleep that freaked me out," says Vanessa, 16, of when her house was burgled last year.
Ransacked
Vanessa and her family were shocked one morning when they came downstairs to find their house had been ransacked.
"It wasn't just that they'd taken stuff, but that they'd trashed the place too," explains Vanessa. "Things that wouldn't have been worth anything to anyone except us, like photos and clothes, were damaged or destroyed."
Scared
The burglary had such an effect on Vanessa that she wondered if she'd ever be able to face going back into her house. "I was so scared, but we had window locks and a burglar alarm fitted and insurance replaced the stuff that'd been taken."
There was one thing, however, which couldn't be replaced at first: her confidence. "Getting my head round the fact that I'd been unsafe in my own home was the hardest part but I read some statistics online about crime and leaflets to help with what happened and I'm getting there."
I was mugged
Jules, 18, had always thought that "crime happened to everybody else", but soon realised that it could happen closer to home when he was robbed on the street in Manchester.
Punch
"A guy stopped me and asked if I could change a pound for the bus," he explains. "I didn't think anything of it and got out my wallet and phone so I could see how much change I had." What happened next was over in a flash and left Jules in shock. "The guy just punched me right in the face and grabbed my stuff out of my hand. I didn't have time to react."
Terrified
Jules made his way to a phone box and called the police. "My nose was bleeding and I was terrified; I hardly knew what was going on," he says.
At first, the only thing with lasting damage was Jules's ego. "At first I felt stupid because I'd let him take my things," he admits.
Lucky
In time, Jules came to terms with what had happened and reflected how lucky he'd been to escape serious injury. "It could have been a lot worse; at least the guy didn't threaten me or cause me permanent damage. I got a punch on the nose and lost my stuff but phones can be replaced and cards can be cancelled."
Have you been a victim of crime?
Tell us about on our contact form or email us.
