War veteran's valuables ʽswiped’ from home by intruder
A veteran of the Second World War has been left feeling “wretched” after an intruder entered her Pembroke home and stole jewellery.
Betty Vincent, 97, lives alone in an apartment complex where a woman walked in on Sunday morning and asked to use her bathroom — only to duck into her bedroom and grab valuables from the top of her dresser.
“I feel awful, thinking that she had been in my room and taken my things,” said Ms Vincent, who is a visually impaired veteran of the Women’s Royal Naval Service.
According to her friend and carer, the thief entered shortly after 9am when Ms Vincent’s door was unlatched.
“She was waiting for me to come in and bring her breakfast,” the woman said. “It was not recklessness on her part. She was waiting for my arrival.
“This person let themselves in, asked if she could use the bathroom, and then proceeded to clear out her jewellery.
“It’s an awful thing to do to a 97-year-old woman. Obviously these were her favourite pieces because they were on top of her dresser.”
Ms Vincent, who in previous years has worn the jewellery for the Remembrance Day parade coming up on November 11, said she was sitting at her desk and thought the woman had gone to the bathroom.
“I couldn’t see what was going on,” she said. “But apparently she went into the bedroom and swiped them.
“I discovered later that my pearl earrings, my gold earrings and a gold necklace had gone.
“I found one of my diamond earrings dropped on the floor, so she only had one of them.”
Ms Vincent could not put a price on the valuables but said: “I can’t even tell you how long I have had them, and I don’t know if I got them insured — I’ve had them for years and years.”
She said the intruder was a Black woman who appeared to be about 45, about 5ft 3in in height, who wore a jacket and long trousers.
Ms Vincent and her carer were told the woman had tried to walk into another apartment in the complex, but left when confronted.
The two reported the incident to the Bermuda Police Service, where The Royal Gazette has lodged an inquiry about the matter.
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