A BARNARD Castle businesswoman says she almost “threw in the towel” after a second break-in at her town centre shop.
Donna Dobson’s Fox & Field countrywear shop was raided at about 1.40am last Wednesday by four burglars who made off with about £17,500 worth of clothing and accessories, including expensive Tweed jackets.
One man was arrested in connection with the crime and about £12,000 of the stock was recovered.
Four masked burglars had used a sledgehammer to break through the door to the shop, which they left abandoned at the scene.
Mrs Dobson and her assistant, Julie Nicholson, spent much of Wednesday morning cleaning up the mess.
The burglars were captured on CCTV while ransacking the shop.
Mrs Dobson said: “It was horrible to watch. The whole trauma of the break-in for me and Julie is living with the fear of it happening again.”
Shortly after the crime, Mrs Dobson said she considered packing it in.
At the time, she said: “What is the point of doing it if they just come and help themselves?”
She added that the shop was full of items she had ordered a year ago for the Christmas season. She said: “We were not long stocked, we were at our limit. This time of year is our bread and butter, it gets us through the slow times.”
It was also shortly before the start of the Christmas season that the shop was burgled three years ago. Mrs Dobson heaped praise on police for making an arrest and returning much of her stock so quickly.
She said: “There were two teams of CID working on it. They have done a fab job. A helicopter was out. Two cars were out. They used all the resources they had.
“That is the difference between me chucking in the towel and keeping on going?”
She also thanked the many people who had offered to help and sent messages of support.
Insp Ed Turner, of Barnard Castle Neighbourhood police team, said: “Since the incident, we have recovered the property and returned it to the rightful owner, which the victim is extremely happy about.”
Police say there were two other burglaries on the same day at Richardson Community Hospital, in Victoria Road, and CCS Catering Ltd on the industrial estate at Stainton Grove. Insp Turner said investigations are continuing in relation to these crimes.
A police spokesperson confirmed that 27-year-old Kenneth Yorke, of Walker Drive, Bishop Auckland, appeared before magistrates in Newton Aycliffe on Thursday, October 11, charged with burglary and handling stolen goods in connection to the raid at Fox & Field Countrywear.
He did not enter a plea and will appear at Durham Crown Court on November 9.
