Daughter Angie Hennessy is outraged burglars targeted the home of her dead father Dudley "Blue" Hennessy - pictured together here four days before he died. Photo / Supplied
Daughter Angie Hennessy is outraged burglars targeted the home of her dead father Dudley "Blue" Hennessy - pictured together here four days before he died. Photo / Supplied
A woman is appalled her dead dad's South Auckland apartment was robbed as he was being farewelled - and gobsmacked it happened next door to a police station.
Grieving daughter Angie Hennessy can't believe her late father Dudley "Blue" Hennessy's Ōtāhuhu Kāinga Ora unit was targeted by callous thieves between last Thursday and Tuesday, and the man affectionately dubbed the "grandfather of the street" burgled days after dying.
"It's just heartbreaking that I'm trying to prepare my dad's funeral and hold together my grieving mother and siblings and someone thinks it's okay to rob an old dead man's house," Hennessy said.
"I can't believe people would stoop this low.
Not even the fact the apartment block, centre, neighboured a police station, left, could stop the brazen burglars in south Auckland. Photo / Greg Bowker
"I'm still trying to figure out how to vacate all my dad's possessions from his house and someone thinks it's okay to come in and help themselves in the middle of trying to process everything.
"I would not wish this on anyone."
She said what made this crime even more galling was that the Princes St state housing complex where her 81-year-old father lived was next door to the Ōtāhuhu Police Station.
"Literally stand in the carpark and you're looking into the police station. You can see the police cars.
"Wouldn't that be the biggest deterrent? There's police next door. But no, absolutely not. It's almost like they don't care."
"Blue" Hennessy's Ōtāhuhu Kāinga Ora unit was broken into just days after his death. Photo / Supplied
Hennessy said the robbery was only discovered the day after Monday's funeral.
"The last time I was at my dad's house I was with my mum on April 28. We were just opening up the house, letting in air, choosing clothes for my dad to be dressed in.
"After we chose his clothes we locked everything up and left the property."
Hennessy said she had noticed at the time that the electricity was off but the power company had said there was no record of a fault and suggested the mains were off.
"My husband and I went around on the Tuesday night after work to go and clear out the fridge because it was giving off a funky smell.
"I noticed that my dad's big bag of potting mix was being used as the door stopper for the main security door.
"At first I didn't think too much of it and then I noticed a chair directly under the window and I thought someone had moved it to get to the potting mix bag.
Angie Hennessy outside her deceased father's rented home next to the Otahuhu Police Station on Princes St. Photo / Greg Bowker
"But once we went into my dad's house we noticed that the TV and big stereo were missing and quite a lot of cigarettes - between 50 and 100."
She said after her father's unit had been raided doors were closed to make it look as if it had not been entered.
Hennessy suspected someone had been monitoring her father's movements in his final weeks as he went in and out of hospital before being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
"They've obviously been watching the house for some time and know my dad lives alone and hasn't been there for some time and taken their chance to help themselves to things."
Hennessy said a police report had been filed but the forensic team had indicated because there was a lot dust on the windows, they weren't hopeful of getting a result.
A police spokesperson said inquiries were ongoing.
The Ōtāhuhu Police Station is next door to Dudley "Blue" Hennessy's ground floor unit that was burgled after he died. Photo / Google
As she grappled with the family tragedy, Hennessy said her kindhearted father was the last person to deserve this final indignity.
"He had an open door policy. If you didn't have your security tag, if you called out to him he would let you climb over the fence, come through the sliding door and go through the front door.
