My home was wrecked during a break-in & I spent two years trying to prove my best friend was the mastermind behind it
A WOMAN whose home was completely wrecked during a break in has revealed how she figured out her best friend was the mastermind behind it all.
Two years ago, Caley Robinson, from Charlwood Village, Surrey, returned home to find her TV, coffee machine and – weirdly – her rugs had been stolen.
But what convinced Caley, 34, that this wasn’t a random attack was the fact that her house was also ransacked by the alleged “burglars”, The Mirror reports.
Not only were her children’s bedrooms targeted but Caley’s clothes had been shredded, there was gunk all over the walls and cigarette butts and beer bottles littered the floors.
The intruders had even set fire to a bedroom and completely trashed the toilet.
The attack on Caley’s home took place on the same day she’d organised a fundraiser in memory of her brother Tom who tragically died in a moped crash when he was 17.
But when Caley’s best friend Katie Morrison, 32, and her boyfriend David Rodericks didn’t show up to the fundraiser, Caley started to suspect that they was guilty of the crime.
Recalling the day of the break-in, Caley said: “It was an amazing event to raise money for Tom’s college where he had learned gardening.
“We had a funfair, pony rides, a barbecue, performances and even a Bob Marley tribute act. The sun was shining and the crowds were loving it. But at 2pm I got a text from my neighbour, saying my window blinds were fully down.”
After she asked to look through the window, Caley’s neighbour informed her that her TV was missing and the whole place had been ransacked.
Caley raced back from the fundraiser in Enfield, North London, to find her entire house had been torn apart.
Describing how she went with her gut, Caley said: “Something told me it was Katie.
“We’d been pals for 10 years and once shared the house, but our friendship had fallen apart when David came on the scene. He was jealous of our relationship and Katie eventually moved out.”
After the fundraiser, Katie texted Caley to say she missed the event because she’d been in hospital – but her brother Christopher then contradicted her story by saying she’d gone to Yorkshire.
Naturally, Caley asked her neighbours if they’d seen anything suspicious in the lead up to the attack and several confirmed they’d seen Katie, David and Christoper outside the house that afternoon.
In fact, one neighbour even called the police after hearing them argue which is what led to their arrest – but authorities had to drop the case after Katie revealed she had a key to the property which explained why her DNA was in the house.
Caley said: “I was livid. I was not about to take this lying down. I hadn’t let on to Katie I knew she had been arrested and she was texting me as normal.
“It was a really difficult time. I wondered if the 10 years we shared as friends had ever meant anything to her.”
I was livid. I was not about to take this lying down. I hadn’t let on to Katie I knew she had been arrested and she was texting me as normal.
Caley Robinson
To add insult to injury, Katie’s boyfriend then filed a civil claim against Caley a few weeks later and said she owed him money.
David had lent Katie and Caley money for a deposit to rent the house – but she insists she paid it back.
To make his claim, David provided Caley with his credit card statements to prove she hadn’t paid – and it was at this point that she noticed the pair of them had been misleading her years.
For instance, Katie and Caley bought a TV for their home on David’s credit card which she was told cost £4,000 – but on his credit card statement, it showed up as £1,800.
She added: “I delved deeper and deeper and was shocked. There were so many items she said we’d gone halves on that were cheaper than she claimed.”
Describing this as the moment she “snapped”, Caley then filed a counterclaim alleging that Katie and David had conned her of £29,500.
Fortunately, Caley won the case and the pair had to repay £6,000 – but there was still the matter of the break-in.
Off the back of the trial and her neighbour’s statements, police were able to re-open Caley’s case and decided to investigate Katie, David and Christopher’s phone activity from that day in 2018.
Although the trio denied the criminal charges, they were found guilty at Guilford Crown Court and were given 12 months community service and made to pay Caley £1,500 each in compensation.
Commenting on her success, Caley added: “I’m just glad I persevered. All those nights of poring over paperwork paid off in the long run.”
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