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Home / New Zealand

'We don't feel safe in our own home any more' - Family's fury as home invader still not charged

By John Lewis
Otago Daily Times·
13 Mar, 2016 08:30 PM2 mins to read

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Shaken and furious: from left, Madilyn Eden, April Henderson, Lilyanna Eden and Sebastian Eden. Photo / Linda Robertson
Shaken and furious: from left, Madilyn Eden, April Henderson, Lilyanna Eden and Sebastian Eden. Photo / Linda Robertson

Shaken and furious: from left, Madilyn Eden, April Henderson, Lilyanna Eden and Sebastian Eden. Photo / Linda Robertson

A Dunedin family are furious police have not laid charges after they woke in the night to find a stranger standing in their bedroom doorway.

April Henderson and her partner, Sebastian Eden, say they are traumatised after waking about 1am on Saturday, March 5 to find a woman in her mid-20s watching them sleep.

"We had no idea who she was. We still don't. We've never seen her in our life," Ms Henderson said.

READ MORE:
• IN-DEPTH SERIES: Hitting Home - Burglaries in NZ
• INTERACTIVE: How many burglaries in your neighbourhood?

"Sebastian woke up and bolted out of bed and pinned her up against the wall.

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"My first thought was for the kids.

"Sebastian held her down until the police came.

"We were asking her who she was, why she was in our bedroom, had one of our friends put her up to this, like it was a prank gone wrong or something.

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"She just kept saying 'sorry' and 'how annoying is this'."

Ms Henderson said Dunedin Police arrived at the Calton Hill home quickly, nothing was taken, and her children, 4 and 10 months, were not harmed.

"Since then, the police have been absolutely crap. We're absolutely gobsmacked about the lack of communication. It's been a week now and still nothing."

She said the woman was arrested, but when she rang Dunedin Police later in the day they told her the woman had not been charged.

Discover more

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30 Mar 06:12 PM
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Burglary police operation: 17 arrests

12 Apr 01:54 AM

During the past week, she has contacted police several more times to get updates, and it appeared nothing had been done.

Dunedin Area Commander Inspector Jason Guthrie said he was looking into the circumstances surrounding the case, and wanted to reassure the family and the Dunedin public that incidents such as these were treated with "the utmost seriousness".

It was hoped an update on the case could be given today.

The incident had rattled her family, Ms Henderson said.

"We're checking doors are locked 10 times before we go to bed at night now.

"We don't feel safe in our own home anymore."

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In September last year, a Wakari woman was attacked by a 21-year-old woman who vandalised her home during a drunken rampage.

Police did not lay charges in that instance because the woman was so intoxicated she did not know what she had done.

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