Someone’s Fiat 500 and dissertation notes were stolen on Springfield Road

A house of seven on Springfield Road was broken into earlier this week, and a Fiat 500 car stolen.

On the 12th April, the student house was burgled between the hours of 4:30 and 9:30 am. Four of the tenants were asleep at the time, oblivious to what was going on.

The break in was discovered when one of the housemates found the front and back doors left wide open. Among the items stolen were: a TV, ps4, laptop, Nintendo DS, bag full of dissertation notes, beats headphones and a car was stolen as the keys were in the kitchen.

The incident was reported straight away and forensics attempted to take fingerprints but so far have no obvious leads. A local police community support officer (PCSO) came to talk to the students and has provided support about being a victim of crime and how to make the house safer. Currently the case has been taken to CID unit within Exeter and Cornwall police.

Police are tracking the car but it hasn’t flashed up on the system so, it is believed that either the number plates have been changed or it is still in the area, in close proximity to Springfield Road.

Jessica, one of the tenants of the house, spoke exclusively to The Exeter Tab to raise awareness of the crime.

She said: “I was shocked to be woken up to hear that my house had been broken into and that my housemate’s electronics had been stolen but at that point I was totally oblivious to the fact that anything of mine had been taken.

“It wasn’t until half way through the police’s visit that I noticed my car was gone. When I couldn’t find my keys I ran onto my road and I felt completely overwhelmed and confused when I discovered that it wasn’t there. In the space of one night I went from studying burglary out of a law text book to being the victim of a domestic burglary at my student house in Exeter.

“I know that burglaries happen frequently all over the country but you really don’t know what it’s like until it happens to you. The day that it happened was really surreal because I wasn’t able to process the enormity of having such an important possession stolen.

“It wasn’t until today that it really hit me emotionally. Im angry at the people who did it and confused why they targeted our house. Trying to focus on revision is really difficult and I feel devastated for my house mate who has lost his hand written dissertation notes ahead of his deadline in two weeks.”

“I had always felt really safe in Exeter up until this event and, although the locks have been changed and upgraded, I’m still on edge about what happened. It really is a horrible feeling to know that your things have gone and that getting them back is out of your control. What’s even creepier is that the offenders broke into my house whilst four of us were inside, fast asleep.

“I’m doing my best to stay positive because a car is a difficult thing to hide and I’m hoping it will be recovered. The police have been fantastic and really understanding so it’s just a matter of placing your trust in them to do their work. Someone out there has Jamie’s electronics, his dissy notes and my car and I’m hoping that because Exeter is a small place and a tight community, someone will know will have information about what happened.

“I would be extremely grateful if everybody could keep their eyes peeled for any white Fiat 500s around Exeter matching the description. I also urge students to check that the locks on the front doors are safe and sturdy. If anyone has any information about the whereabouts of my car or what happened in the early hours of 12th April then please contact Devon and Cornwall Police.”

UPDATE: Jessica told The Exeter Tab that the car has since been recovered.