Burglary Averted near Pound Yard, but Lovell Family Has Lost Sense of Security
Well-known psychotherapist Jenny Lovell experienced a horrible scare this early this morning. Robbers broke into her family home as she and her sister were sleeping. Fortunately for her, an alert neighbour called the police to report that thieves had broken into Lovell’s house. The brazen duo was able to get away. Lovell says the incident has left her with a false sense of security. Here is News Five’s Duane Moody.
Duane Moody, Reporting
A burglary at the family home of well-known psychotherapist Jenny Lovell was averted this morning after a neighbour, alerted by the disturbance, called the police as the burglary was in process. By the time the cops arrived, the burglar barred door had already been removed from its hinges and the wooden door pried open. It all happened around three a.m., less than an hour after Lovell retired for the night.
Jenny Lovell
Jenny Lovell, Victim on Burglary
“When I come outside, my sister and I came out and I see the grill door basically off its hinges and the board door. We have two dead bolts on the board door and two bolts…sprawling open. Somebody called the police and said there was a robbery in progress here. Thank God because I think once they came through those doors we would have been in trouble because the police said they were armed.”
Lovell’s family has been living here, across from “pound yard” in Belize City since 1951, when the area was known as Grassy Peace. Luckily, the sisters were asleep and their room doors locked. They were awoken to find officers in the home searching to see if any thieves were left inside. By this time they had already set chase after two men in the area, who are believed to be the culprits; they escaped.
Jenny Lovell
“I don’t live here. This is the family home, but I came down because I had show this morning, so I am here with my sister. I was talking to some friends from New York last night, early morning. I went to bed about 2:30, but my lights were on because I was preparing and talking to them and then I shut off the lights about 2:30 and then I was awoken by all these voices. I hear a lot of voices and I am thinking 3:30 in the morning, why am I hearing voices. When I open the door, dah because all kinda police and they are searching the house because they didn’t know if anybody else was in the house. Apparently the guys came and searched and I guess they went downstairs or maybe they heard the police, I don’t know what happened, but they came out and the police said they were walking very slowly and when police came they started running and they set chase after them, but I guess going over fences and whatnot, they got away from the police.”
The incident has left the siblings traumatised. Jenny says that they have lost their sense of security inside the home. She fears that if they had encounters the burglars, the incident would have been worse.
Jenny Lovell
“My sister was sleeping right here. She said part of the night, she heard like something wrenched. And she said she got up and looked out the window; thank God she didn’t come out here. She looked out the window and didn’t see anything so she went back to sleep. I’ve lost my sense of security; I’ve lost it because I have a grill door. We have a grill door here; we have a board door. The grill door has two dead bolts, the board door has two dead bolts, plus we have two bolts weh pull across. That is supposed to protect you; it supposed to be able to keep them out. It didn’t. It never keep them out. They come with crowbar and god knows what else. They literally tore that grill door off its hinges. The grill door noh di protect yo.”
But are we really safe inside our homes? Lovell shares an advice.
Jenny Lovell
“Women out there who live by themselves, the grill door noh di protect yo; the bolt noh di protect yo. I talk to people about trauma; I was so traumatized this morning. It was not funny, I was so traumatized. And we are thinking that we are in front here where it is so open; people are always passing here. I used to work at the prison, I was the superintendent there for a while. I used to be friendly with one of the prisons—he used to come by every day when I had tea—called him T-Dog. And I think although T-Dog was a sociopath, some part of him was good. And he shared with me; ih say: Miss J yo can’t get complacent because there is somebody always watching you. There is somebody always watching you. You never go the same way to work or home; you vary how you reach where you’re going because people wah follow yo. So yo have to change up yo routine all the time.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
