Burglary while Masterton family sleep

BRAZEN: A burglar cleaned out thousands of dollars' worth of computer equipment while a family were sleeping.PHOTO/FILE

A Masterton couple have been left shaken and afraid after their home was hit in an early morning burglary while family members were sleeping.

The couple, who declined to be named, lost thousands of dollars' worth of gaming and computer gear and a backpack given for Christmas to their 2-year-old son, who had been asleep beside his dad when the burglary took place.

"It was just lucky he was asleep in our room," the woman said.

"It just scares me so much that our son was here when someone else was in the house. The back door was left wide open and, if he had woken up before dad, he could have wandered off."

The woman said their home was broken into some time after she left for work at 5.30am on Saturday and before her partner and son awoke about three hours later.

She said the back door had been forced open. The thief had taken time to unplug and steal all the leads and accessories needed to run the electronic equipment.

"Everything was locked when I left and police reckon a crowbar or some kind of tool was used to get in. There was other stuff they could easily have taken but they didn't, so we're guessing there was only one person."

The woman said the greater part of what was taken was stored beneath their television, and included a PS4 and a PS3 gaming console, a PlayStation game, a black and silver tablet computer in a pink cover, a PS Vita handheld device and a gaming headset.

The thief had also crept into their son's room, she said, from where his backpack was taken and baby clothes were emptied from another bag, which the couple believe was used to carry off the hijacked gear.

The boy's father regretted sleeping through the burglary, which had left the under-insured couple out of pocket, but said he was thankful he and his family remained unharmed.

"I dreamed someone was throwing things around and there were a couple of bangs. But I kept on sleeping and, while I'm gutted our stuff was taken and someone was in here, at the same time things could have been a lot worse if there had been a confrontation."

The damaged door had been since repaired, the woman said, and an alarm system installed.

"They must have been watching when I left and now we're worried they could come back, which the police say can happen. This is the first time we've ever been burgled and we don't really feel safe anymore, especially with our son," she said.

"The security system does give us some peace of mind but we still feel violated, you know, a stranger broke into our home.

"We were always careful, making sure doors and windows were locked, but keep your valuables somewhere safe, close your curtains so people can't see in at night, note your serial numbers and keep your receipts," the woman said.

"People need to know this is happening."