By VANESSA VALENZUELA
AN ALBION man accused of stealing more than $27,000 cash from an 89-year-old while she slept, brought his six-year-old son to the burglary, a court has heard.
As reported by Star, 89-year-old Mary Harrison was sound asleep when an intruder forced his way into her Albion home and entered her bedroom in the early hours of Saturday 3 November.
The 40-year-old man who was with his young son attempted to break through the laundry window before forcing open the back door.
He then entered Ms Harrison’s room and stole a large sum of cash from her cupboard before fleeing the scene.
The identity of the man was discovered days later when police arrested the intruder for another alleged burglary in Brimbank.
The Albion man appeared at the Sunshine Magistrates Court last Monday and has been remanded in custody until 17 December.
His son is now under a child protection order from the Department of Human Services.
Ms Harrison said she was surprised they had found the intruder and felt safe in her own home again but was disappointed the money had not been found.
Ms Harrison told Star she had been saving the money for her funeral and had hoped to be buried next to her brother at Footscray Cemetery.
“To me that money was there, it was sacred, and to be kept. Nobody would touch it,” she said.
“But I didn’t care about the money or anything else. I just wanted to be buried next to him.
“I won’t ever keep money like that in the house again. Never.”
Close friend and carer Melchior Bajada said he was no longer afraid to leave Ms Harrison alone at night.
“We’re relieved now that it’s all over and that they managed to catch the bloke,” he said.
Mr Bajada said he wanted to thank Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Ziebell and all the officers at the Sunshine Police Station for their hard work.
“People don’t actually realise how much time and effort these fine officers do for our community in keeping it safe for once and all,” Mr Bajada said.
Sgt Ziebell encourages residents to report any suspicious behaviour to police by calling Triple Zero (000).