Grandmother woke to find burglar stealing grandaughter's bike from her bedroom

A grandmother woke in the early hours to find a burglar taking her grandaughter’s bike from her bedroom.

Marjorie Harvey, known as Madge, initially thought the man in her Middlesbrough home was her son-in-law Mark - and even shouted to him as he left “I’ll be glad to get rid of that bike”.

But she panicked when she talked to her daughter Lee-Anne that evening, after realising a burglar had made away with the bike belonging to her 13-year-old grandaughter Dana.

Mrs Harvey, 77, said: “I feel a bit stupid now, but I thought it was him. I thought it was a bit strange that he was there that early, but he works nights and I just didn’t realise.

“He was the same build as Mark, but when I spoke to Lee-Anne she said he hadn’t been here, and then she started screaming for me to ring the police.

“I panicked a bit then, my grandaughter Dana was absolutely distraught because she had lost her bike and then she realised what could have happened to me.

“You know, I didn’t think but she said I could have been murdered in my bed.

“The way I look at it, you’ve got to laugh really. If I didn’t, then I think I would be more worried.

“But I don’t want anyone to think that they could come back here again.

“And nobody will drive me from my home.”

Mrs Harvey said that she had kept Dana’s bike on the patio of her ground floor flat at Elder Court in Middlesbrough town centre, but had been asked to bring it inside for the winter.

She said that she heard her kitchen door creak at around 5.25am on Wednesday, and thinking it was her son-in-law she shouted “how have you got in?”.

The burglar replied “with a key”.

Mrs Harvey described the intruder as around 5’3”, slightly built, wearing a short jacket and a woolly hat.

The bike was a ladies adult bike, with white crossbars and red writing.

Mrs Harvey, whose daughter, son-in-law and four grandchildren live in Coulby Newham, continued: “I am lucky because I have a great family to support me, and some good friends round here.

“My nephew Ryan came to stay with me as well, but I’m perfectly fine.”

Cleveland Police are reminding residents to keep their homes as secure as possible following several burglaries in the area over the past four weeks.

If residents saw anything suspicious they should contact Cleveland Police on 101.