Waiting for justice: Marianne Henderson

Marianne Henderson: Lives with boyfriend Noel Cavanagh in Kilbirnie, Wellington.

Crime: Attempted break-and-entry.

Facts: The incident occurred about 3am when the couple was asleep. After being woken by rattling noises, they went to the back door to find a young woman trying to open the door through the cat flap. They called police who arrived within five minutes and apprehended the woman and her two male companions who had been waiting at the front.

Follow-up: A week after the attempted entry the couple rang a friend in the force who advised them the police who attended their call-out had decided the alleged offender was too "wasted" to charge and they took her home without any charge or warning. No follow-up on break-in.

"I don't want to seem like we are bashing the police as I know they are given a hard time often, and I do think they do a great job. We have just felt really let down throughout this experience. Their response time was great but if they want to prevent crime, why let the girl get away with it? That's hardly going to scare her off from doing it again, and succeeding next time."

- HERALD ON SUNDAY