Family home looted after landslide evacuation in Newcastle
Opportunistic thieves have re-traumatised an Australian family who were already grappling with an unbearably difficult situation.
The Morgan family were left devastated when a dangerous landslide forced them to evacuate their home in the Newcastle suburb of New Lambton on May 23.
Forced to live in hotels while geotechnical engineers take several weeks to assess the safety of their house, the family of four was given the opportunity to periodically return to the house in order to collect essential items like clothes and toiletries.
Recently, the family returned to their home to find numerous valuables gone with clear signs of pillaging noted throughout the building.
'My husband's father died when he was eleven and the only thing he has from his father was a pocket watch, and that's gone,' Leonie Morgan said.
'They took my grandmother's pearls I'd inherited.'
Out of the fifteen properties evacuated on the street, three in total are alleged to have been looted, and Ms Morgan believes more people have tried to enter the home since the initial robbery.
In the aftermath of the first robbery, Ms Morgan's husband boarded up the home with wooden panels in an attempt to mitigate any further attempts – but that hasn't stopped would-be criminals from trying.
In a more recent trip to the house, the family found the front door partially kicked in.
'People are still trying to get in, not that there's anything left to take,' Ms Morgan said.
In response to the looting, the family placed a letter on the front door of the home, instructing would-be bandits to leave the place alone.
'Hi visitors, our home has already been robbed and ransacked,' the note reads.
'All the good stuff is gone!'
NSW Police said a man was arrested early on Wednesday morning after he was allegedly seen leaving one of the vacated properties.
Upon being searched by officers, the 28-year-old was found stolen bank cards, perfume bottles, electronics, watches and miscellaneous pieces of jewellery.
He has been charged with numerous offences, and has been granted conditional bail.
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