I was robbed last night...

[herbster]

Sure, you may not care, but I want to get this off my chest.

I arrived home yesterday from a school excursion of +/-72 hours, sleep deprived. I spent my afternoon on the internet, catching the latest news and updates and went to bed at 12:07 in the night, while my bro and his girlfriend were at a club.

In any case, I was awoken at +/-01:30 by the girlfriend who told me she had found the theif climbing out the window in her room.

All this is not that amazing until (in South Africa, at any rate) until you consider that we live on the third storey of a flat and he climbed up into the house using a drain pipe. Furthermore, I was so asleep that I didnt hear the guy open my squeaky door or hear the girl shouting at him. I was tired that he could've walked right up to me in the 15 minutes we think he was in our house and simply slit (slitted/slut) my throat or strangled me or thrown my lava-lamp on me (as local theives are apt to use brutal violence for no reason, if reports are to be believed).

Furthermore, this was a guy who had no qualms jumping (as h did) from a third storey window onto a patch of dirt, while retaining the strength to jump a fence and sprint to his getaway car.

Just telling my tale, feel free to express your opinions or tell your stories.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

That sucks,

 

[oberGeist]

that was a close one. you're lucky he wasn't brutal with you...

did he steal anything?

 

[herbster]

He stole wallets, jewellery, my digi-cam, pool cues and our motor bike and car keys. I'm also forgetting other things at the moment.

 

[Maxi]

erm... ouch

You got your insurance up to date?

 

[herbster]

Wait, that was ambiguous. He stole the KEYS to both our car and the Keys to the motorbike. We have since moved both to a more secure location (our garage gate is easily breakable). sorry.

Our insurance is up-to-date, thankfully.

 

[The Monkey]

That's nasty. Sorry.

 

[Cooper]

I've had my house broken into once, but I wasn't home when it happened.

Just out of curiosity, what are the gun laws where you live in South Africa? I find no joy in killing a man but I am a hunter and I do keep firearms in the house, should someone break in I wouldn't hesitate. It's either them or my family.

 

[f|uke]

When I was a kid my family and I came home to someone trying to break into the front door. I must have been about 5 at the time but I'll never forget that.

That really sucks, mate, but as you pointed out, it could have been much worse. You gotta count your blessings.

 

[Razor]

I've had my house broken into once, but I wasn't home when it happened.

Just out of curiosity, what are the gun laws where you live in South Africa? I find no joy in killing a man but I am a hunter and I do keep firearms in the house, should someone break in I wouldn't hesitate. It's either them or my family.

Very lax i think, i think they are more lax than in America actually.

 

[herbster]

From my understanding, there is a set limt of around 5 guns one can own, with further being allowed for sport (any rifle or shotgun I believe) there was some law recently that, although I dont understand it really, greatly reduces ones chances of owning a gun.

From what I hear, a male is allowed to shoot anyone who enters his house illegaly and poses a threat of violence. For a woman, the person can be anywhere on the property, and there was a case some years ago where a woman shot a man who was escaping over her wall, breaking his back and because he landed on the other side of the fence, sued her.

My brother threw candle sticks out the window at the theif and, when the police arrived they said that, if it happens again, we should beat the guy up, throw him out the window and deny everything, saying he fell out.

Also, Cooper, where do you live that your house has only been broken into once. My residences have been robbed a total of around 4 times, twice with me in the house.

 

[Dasparov]

My brother threw candle sticks out the window at the theif

heh, its good to know you insurance is upto date though

 

[f|uke]

when the police arrived they said that, if it happens again, we should beat the guy up, throw him out the window and deny everything, saying he fell out.

Woah.
Very different police mentality there.

 

[herbster]

Under-paid, Under-staffed, over-worked and thus ineffectual. Its a problem for police forces the world over.

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

Two guys broke into my friends house, and he chased them for about a quater of a mile in his boxer shorts waving a kitchen knife at them...Twas funny indeed, but it could have turned nasty.

If we were to beat up a someone breaking into our house, we'd have a lot of explaining to do to the police...

 

[Cooper]

Also, Cooper, where do you live that your house has only been broken into once. My residences have been robbed a total of around 4 times, twice with me in the house.

Well, I currently live in California (U.S.) but when my house was broken into it was in the state of Washington. The guy just busted the front door down and stole whatever he could, he was attempting to round up money to buy drugs. The police caught him a couple hours later though in another persons house.

 

[herbster]

Well, I currently live in California (U.S.) but when my house was broken into it was in the state of Washington. The guy just busted the front door down and stole whatever he could, he was attempting to round up money to buy drugs. The police caught him a couple hours later though in another persons house.

Thats not cool. Apparently, the guy who robbed us may be part of a syndicate. They phone peoples homes, letting it ring briefly and, if the lights dont go on, they know the coast is clear.

 

[Cooper]

Syndicate? Thats not good.

Be careful my friend.

 

[herbster]

Yeah, I will. We're getting burglar guards for the windows, a new ignition for the car. That isn't to say that this is a "Big-Time" operation on the scale of triads or the Lebanese Mafia, just some friends who have girlfriends with expensive tastes in clothing and bad taste in men (I say that because my brother spotted a car similiar to the one apparently used by the syndicate, picking up a girl a few blocks away, right after the robbery. He didnt know the full story at the time though)