NHS worker left feeling 'violated' after home burgled during 'stressful' 12-hour shift

16 April 2020, 02:02

By Nick Hardinges

@NHardinges

An NHS medic has said he feels "violated" after he came home from a "stressful" 12-hour shift to find his house had been burgled.

Samuel Jones, an emergency medical technician from Ilkeston, Derbyshire, told LBC News he came home to find his mountain bike, laptop, PlayStation 4 and several other items missing.

The 30-year-old, who works for the East Midlands Ambulance Service, said he had been looking after distressed patients with mental health relating to coronavirus while on shift.

However, when he returned to his house in the early hours of Wednesday morning he discovered he had been the victim of a burglary.

"It's horrible, I've come off a stressful 12-hour night shift to find my house turned upside down," he said.

The NHS worker told LBC News the ordeal had left him feeling unsafe and "unable to relax" in his own property.

"In this current climate our homes are our castles - where we are and should feel safe - but I definitely don't feel that way right now."

Mr Jones believes his goods were taken between 5:30pm on 14 April and 6:30am on 15 April while he was working.

The medic said two of the main things keeping him "sane" on his days off from battling Covid-19 were his bike and computer gaming - both of which were taken.

He added he could not understand why someone would take advantage of his empty home while he was out potentially saving the life of one of the culprit's loved ones.

"To come home and see how some absolute degenerate individual, or individuals, can abuse the fact that I'm at work, possibly helping their friends or family, is beyond my comprehension."

In a post on Twitter, he said: "Even if these individual(s) needed my help, I would aid without judgement or question.

"But please, have some of your own humanity and respect."

Mr Jones described his bike as "a Fluro-Yellow Norco Fluid with Yellow DMR platform pedals" and asked anyone who sees it to contact him.

The emergency medical technician told LBC News that "every shift is now a trial" because of the coronavirus outbreak.

"We're all having to make harder decisions to get the best care we can for our patients whilst all services are stretched," he said.

"We're still having to deal with drug abuse and cavalier attitudes towards the pandemic too - I'm sure if I had some hair to pull out I would be at times."

However, he added that the pandemic had also led to a number of more positive stories of communities coming together.

"What's great though is that there's such a sense of camaraderie between not just NHS colleagues but people of all walks of life," he continued.

"It's amazing what adversity can foster in people."

Anyone with information can call 101, quoting reference number 114-15-04-2020.