Woman, 60, nabs daytime burglars

Kumeu police in the area blocked off Lesley Buckleigh's street to catch the burglars. Photo / Martin Sykes

A furious 60-year-old woman and quick-thinking police combined to catch burglars who were raiding her home.

Lesley Buckleigh, a retiree, said her first reaction upon finding two strange men on her Waimauku property was pure anger.

After mowing the lawn on her 10 acre West Auckland property this week, she had found an unfamiliar car in her driveway. While confronting the driver her television dropped out of her house window and into the garden.

"I was like a mother angry at my child," she said. "You wanna tell them off, and tell them you know they're gonna be in trouble."

She locked the gate to prevent the other man, who was now leaving the house, from escaping.

"I wasn't threatened at all. I said 'What do you think you're doing?' and 'Why is my TV in the garden?'."

The young man jumped the fence to escape. But while the men were still scrambling to get away she had dialled 111.

"I was still on the phone when the woman on the line said 'We've got them'. I was so impressed."

Sergeant Michael Rickards of the Kumeu police said a patrol car was already in the area for an unrelated incident. The driver, with three prisoners in the back seat, quickly turned around and blocked off one end of Ms Buckleigh's street.

All three ways out of her road were blocked by police in three minutes. "They were on a road to nowhere after that," she said.

The burglars were quickly found, and gave up a camera and cash they had taken from the home. Police connected them to four other burglaries in the area, and found items worth $25,000 in their vehicle.

"I have every praise for the police and 111 system," said Ms Buckleigh.

"I'm the first to criticise when the police have done something wrong. But they were wonderful, even after they'd caught them. They sent someone to look after me. I was very impressed."

She was alarmed at the brazenness of Tuesday's burglary. It happened at 3pm, while two people were in the house, and despite the barking of her pet bulldogs.

"It is frustrating. I live in the country, up a big long driveway. I shouldn't have to worry about this. I think that I'm safe, but I'm not. The whole house is locked up now."

Mr Rickards said Ms Buckleigh had been brave in dealing with the intruders. Police did not recommend confrontation, he said, but on this occasion she had not realised her house was being robbed.

A 23-year-old man appeared yesterday in Waitakere District Court charged with burglary and receiving stolen property. He had recently been released from prison.

His accomplice, a 22 year-old man, was charged with burglary.