Girl, 11, had birthday bike stolen just a day after party (From This Is Wiltshire)

Girl, 11, had birthday bike stolen just a day after party

12:11pm Wednesday 10th February 2010

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An 11-year-old girl had her bike stolen by burglars just days after she was given it as a birthday present.

Amanda and Keith Jones, 38, and their children, Madeleine and nine-year-old Dexter, were asleep when burglars crept into their Southwick home, during the early hours of Sunday, taking a Wii console, games, a purse and wallet and Madeline’s £84.99 bike.

Mrs Jones, 36, said: “Madeline had had her 11th birthday on Tuesday (Feb 2) and she then had her friends over for a sleepover on Friday night.

“We had bought her the bike for her birthday. It still had birthday ribbons on when it was taken and Madeline had only ridden it once.”

Mr Jones was leaving their home at about 8.45am on Sunday when he found his wife’s personal organiser on the doorstep in a carrier bag, where a passer-by had left it after finding the contents strewn across a nearby alleyway.

Mrs Jones, who runs a business with her husband, said: “We thought this was odd so we started to look around and found that things had been moved slightly and mail had been opened.

“I couldn’t find my purse and my husband couldn’t find his wallet and pictures that had been in them were on the floor.”

They then discovered that the blue and silver apollo XC26 bike was among the items taken.

Mrs Jones said: “We have all been left quite shocked by this and it has really affected the children. It’s a real violation of your personal space.”

She is now checking that doors and windows are securely closed and urges other people to do the same.

The burglars got into the house through the back door, which is thought to have been left unlocked, between midnight on Saturday and 8.30am on Sunday.

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