AN extended road trip from the tip of north Queensland to the bottom of Victoria went horribly wrong for a retired couple when they stayed overnight in Moree last weekend.
Richard and Sandra spent most of winter in the Port Douglas region in north Queensland when they decided to break up the trip home to Mornington with a one-night stop-over in Moree.
Richard, 69, and 62-year-old Sandra – both recently retired – are still shaken by what happened in the early hours of Saturday when an alleged intruder forced his way into their motel room and demanded the keys to their 2017 white BMW X3 SUV.
It is alleged there was more than one assailant.
Police established a crime scene and commenced an investigation into the incident.
They subsequently arrested a 17-year-old boy at a home on Jacaranda Drive, Moree, at about 10am on Monday.
The teenager was taken to Moree Police Station where he was charged with taking a conveyance without consent of owner, aggravated break-and-enter in company, steal less than $60,000 and be carried in conveyance taken without consent of owner.
Sandra and Richard got their BMW X3 SUV back but are appealing for the return of stolen possessions, including jewellery and golf clubs.
Richard and Sandra, and the 83-year-old woman in the next room – unknown to them – were physically unharmed in the alleged ordeal.
With the help of modern technology, police located their vehicle, with body and wheel damage, in west Moree – but personal possessions, including family jewellery with deep sentimental value, were stolen.
“We had so much stuff in the boot and back seat, but the main items stolen was my white jewellery box and bag containing every piece of jewellery I own, including my late mother’s jewellery,” Sandra said.
“Other major items were Richard’s golf clubs, two sets of lawn bowls, a big black bag of shoes and an album containing a Pokémon card collection.
“If anyone sees anything that might remotely resemble our belongings, especially my jewellery, please report it to Moree police so they can investigate,” she said.
“All of the items stolen were our personal possessions, because we didn’t want to leave them at home for six months.”
Richard and Sandra are thankful they got their vehicle back, with two suitcases full of clothing still on the back-seat.
“We were very fortunate to get our car back, and the police were amazing. This was our first experience with police, thank goodness,” Sandra said.
“Fortunately, Richard has the BMW tracker app. He was able to tell the police where the car was. This assisted them in pursuit, but unfortunately the tracker stopped.
“The app restored an hour later and we were able to tell the police exactly where the car was.
“The police located the vehicle but couldn’t open it. Amazingly, Richard was able to open the car remotely with the phone app,” she said.
“It couldn’t be driven without keys, but our suitcases were still in the boot containing the spare set of keys.”
Richard and Sandra spend half the year in north Queensland to escape the Victorian winter.
“We have both recently retired and for the last two years we’ve spent our time between Port Douglas and Mornington,” Sandra said.
“Last year, we flew back home but decided this year to have another road trip and experience different Australian towns.”
Items stolen were a white box and bag containing Sandra’s jewellery and jewellery belonging to her late mother; two sets of lawn bowls; set of golf clubs; black bag containing shoes; and an album containing a Pokémon card collection.
“If anyone sees or hears anything about our stolen property, please call Moree police,” Sandra said.
The 17-year-old will appear in Children’s Court today.
Anyone with information about the incident should call Moree Police (6757 0799) or Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au.
Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.
