Orla McBrien and Mark McConkey
A LOCAL couple, due to be married in April have been left devastated after burglars ransacked their Belnaleck home on Saturday night and stole their personalised wedding rings.
Mark McConkey and Orla McBrien, who live at Corn Mill, Belnaleck were out on Saturday night with friends when thieves broke into their home and stole jewellery worth thousands of pounds as well as going through their personal belongings and even their clothes.
It is the second incident of theft in the housing estate in just two weeks and has shocked a quiet, rural community. The first incident reported to police in Corn Mill was sometime between 6.20pm on Friday, January 15th and 7.20am on January 16th, during which a sum of cash and jewellery were taken. It is understood some of the jewellery had been discarded and was recovered in the Sligo Road area on January 16th.
The latest incident took place on Saturday evening, January 30 and occurred sometime between 6.30pm and 11.30pm. Speaking this week to the Herald Mr McConkey revealed that as soon as they returned it was clear something was wrong.
“We came through the front door and immediately felt a gust of air come through the house. We thought to ourselves something’s not right here. We have a dresser just to the right hand of the front door, there was a wee door on it slightly ajar and one of the doors was open and I knew that wasn’t right. Then I saw a towel taken from the downstairs bathroom it was left strewn in the hall way and it was bogging.”
Thieves entered through the rear of the property by breaking the glass in the kitchen patio doors.
“They tried to attempt to get in the kitchen window first,” he explained, “but they couldn’t prise the window open, then they tried to prise the locks open on the patio doors and they couldn’t do that so then ultimately whatever they used they smashed the glass through. They were determined, they were going to get in no matter what.”
When police arrived officers asked the couple to check on their valuables and it was then it was discovered the personalised wedding rings had been taken. Mark and Orla are due to tie the knot on April 1 at Castle Leslie, County Monaghan.
“Given the fact all we seem to talk about these days is our wedding they were at the forefront of our minds. So we then looked and saw that the boxes were empty.”
Along with the rings, which due to their uniqueness may not be able to be replaced, other jewellery was also taken, which had sentimental value. Thankfully there was no cash in the house at the time.
“We have a number of 50 inch TVs, which weren’t touched, also where they came into the kitchen there’s an iPad on charge, but they’d actually taken the charger out of the iPad but decided not to take it.
Even where the rings were, we had laptops, things like that. I couldn’t understand why they weren’t taken, but their MO seems to be cash and jewellery.”
After the theft Mark took to Facebook to raise awareness about crime in the area and hopes that by speaking out it will prevent further instances of theft.
“We’re upset, but these things can be replaced, the main thing is making sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else. The most unnerving thing about it all and the police have told us this, – they were watching us.”
Police are keen to hear from anyone who has any information, no matter how insignificant on the two thefts in Corn Mill. The number to call is 101.
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