Barefoot Wigan mum chases burglar down street and confronts him after early morning break-in

A brave Wigan mum said she was only thinking about her children when she chased a burglar down the street barefoot to confront him about stealing their toys and games.

Levi Chadfield-Smith was woken by thuds in her Swinley home at around 5.30am on Monday and initially thought one of her three children had got up early.

But after shouting to them, she heard the back door open and realised it was an intruder. The 27-year-old said: “I looked out of my bedroom window and saw this bloke with a black cap on carrying my throw from the couch with contents in it.

“I ran out of the house and chased him up the street.”

She was wearing only shorts and a T-shirt, with nothing on her feet, but wanted to catch up to him.

She shouted for him to leave the items he had stolen.

Levi, of Charles Street, said: “I said ‘put it down, it’s my stuff you are taking, off my children’. He shouted, ‘I’m homeless, I need the money’.

“I said, ‘why do you think it’s acceptable to take things from children?’”

The man left some of the items he had taken - a Playstation, docking station for a Nintendo and a headset.

But he ran off towards Wigan Lane with a Nintendo Switch belonging to Levi’s 11-year-old son Harley Hubble-Smith and a tablet computer owned by her daughter Harper Bibby, six.

Levi said adrenaline “took over” and it was only afterwards that she thought about what she had done and the dangers she could have faced by going after the burglar.

“I don’t think, I just act,” she said.

“It’s my kids’ stuff and it’s the only thing keeping them sane at the minute. I wasn’t thinking, I just did it.

“A lot of people have asked why I would chase someone who had burgled my house, but I didn’t think about that, I just wanted my kids’ things back.

“If they woke up and found out they had been stolen, it would be horrible for them.”

She said her oldest son was “devastated” when he found out what had happened.

Levi reported the burglary to the police and an investigation has been launched, with officers visiting her home to check for fingerprints.

She described the man as being about 5ft 5ins tall, wearing a black cap, baggy tracksuit pants and a dark blue jacket. He looked like he had not shaved for about three weeks and his brown hair appeared to be overgrown under his cap, she said.

She suspects someone had been in the house the week before, as she heard a noise and believes the thief knew where to find the items.

Levi, a care worker, said the man got into the house through a ground-floor window left open for a vent for her tumble dryer.

She warned other people to be careful and ensure their homes are secure to prevent them being targeted by criminals.

She said: “I want to warn everyone else to keep their doors locked and windows closed.

“Despite how much I might want warm clothes in a morning, it’s not worth it.”

Anyone with information about the burglary is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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