Family Friend Betrayal Caught on CCTV

They say it’s wise to keep your friends close and your enemies closer – but sometimes it can be difficult to tell which is which. That’s what happened to one Cambridgeshire couple when they discovered their long-time friend of 10 years had been stealing from them for weeks.

The couple stumbled across her betrayal after noticing money vanishing from their home on several occasions. In a bid to catch the culprit, they set up a CCTV system around their household and were shocked to discover the family friend pilfering cash on four occasions within the space of a week.

A concerning occurrence

The family, who wish to remain anonymous, first became concerned about security in their home when they noticed money going missing on several occasions. At first, they questioned their 10-year-old son, assuming the youngster must have been pocketing the cash to fuel his tuck shop habits, but quickly realised the problem was bigger than a few gummy bears here and some Fruit Salad there.

They also raised the subject with other workers at the house but overlooked Tracey Christmas, who had recently been hired as stable hand, babysitter and general helper around the house. This is because of the long friendship she had enjoyed with the matriarch of the family, spanning 10 years or more.

In fact, the concerned homeowner even mentioned the missing money to her friend but Christmas denied all knowledge of its disappearance, all the while continuing her devious schemes. It was then that the baffled couple decided to turn to technology for some answers.

CCTV to the rescue

Within one week of installing the cameras around the property, the pair discovered Christmas helping herself to their money on three separate occasions and attempting a fourth. On one of them, she even had to actively search for a key and open a locked bureau in order to access the cash.

“I was really angry. I felt really physically sick watching somebody I knew going through my personal possessions. We would like to think that we can trust people again but unfortunately it affects how we deal with other people that come into our house now,” explained the distraught homeowner.

“It’s the disappointment that someone has cultivated a friendship simply for their own monetary gain. For us it makes you think how could we have been so blind? But Tracey was seen as a family member and spent more time at our home than at her own. I think her sentence is appropriate but it has not affected her life at all, she just keeps clean for a year and it doesn’t make any difference on her life.”

Christmas was sent to the slammer for 20 weeks to think about what she’d done, as well as being slapped with an £80 fine, a fee for court costs of £85, a victim surcharge of £80 and 120 hours of community service.

Safeguard your own home

It just goes to show that you can’t always judge a book by its cover and that even the most trustworthy of friends can turn out to be a snake in the grass. Luckily, there’s one thing that never lies – the camera.

At Blackburn Alarms, we have a whole host of intruder alerts, CCTV cameras and access control systems to increase safety and give you peace of mind. To find out more about how we can help secure your home or workplace, get in touch with us today.