{"id":43998,"date":"2023-11-09T16:58:54","date_gmt":"2023-11-09T16:58:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lethal-industry.com\/?p=43998"},"modified":"2023-11-09T16:58:54","modified_gmt":"2023-11-09T16:58:54","slug":"couple-devastated-after-33000-life-savings-stolen-from-their-motorhome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lethal-industry.com\/world-news\/couple-devastated-after-33000-life-savings-stolen-from-their-motorhome\/","title":{"rendered":"Couple ‘devastated’ after \u00a333,000 life savings stolen from their motorhome"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A grandad has been left \u201cdevastated\u201d after \u00a333,000 in cash he’d been saving for his late son’s headstone was stolen from his motorhome during floods.<\/p>\n

Phil, 68, and Dawn Henderson, 65, hid three bags of money and jewellery under a bed in their motorhome after rising water from Storm Babet threatened their property last month.<\/p>\n

The couple had been putting cash aside for both their retirement and to purchase a gravestone for their late son, Jay Henderson, 36, who passed away from liver failure last year.<\/p>\n

When their frequently flooded bungalow in Mexborough, South Yorkshire, looked set to be hit again on October 19 by Storm Babet, they moved their valuables to their mobile camper.<\/p>\n

However, Mr Henderson believes thieves watched them make several trips to the van, which was only parked 10 yards from their property, before striking after midnight.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: <\/strong> Woman\u2019s \u00a340,000 house restoration destroyed by Storm Babet flooding<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The couple’s bungalow then flooded the next day, further adding to his heartbreak. Mr Henderson said: “I lost my son last year and then this has happened. It\u2019s absolutely devastating.<\/p>\n

“You can\u2019t put into words how we feel and how we\u2019re going to move forward after this. They\u2019ve hit the jackpot. They just robbed us. And we\u2019re flooded as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr and Mrs Henderson, who have run a fishery and campsite at their home address for 20 years, were previously \u201cwiped out\u201d by flooding in 2007, 2019 and 2022.<\/p>\n

After getting a Government warning to prepare for rising river levels on October 19, they moved their valuables into their Fiat Kon-Tiki motorhome, which is situated on higher ground.<\/p>\n

Their life savings included \u00a333,000 in cash as well as gold jewellery and diamond rings, valued at around \u00a37,000 in total.<\/p>\n

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Mr Henderson said: “We never had suspicions that there was anybody nearby. We were 10 yards away from my front door, loading my motorhome. All the lights were on in the house. We\u2019d been preparing all day, and I\u2019d filled the motorhome with stuff – all our life savings – and put them under the bed.”<\/p>\n

But shortly after midnight, Mr Henderson said: “We noticed that my awning had been moved, and got into the motorhome. My wife said, \u2018Check the money\u2019 and it had all gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Henderson, who\u2019s been receiving treatment for bowel cancer and has a spinal injury, now faces being forced to continue working as a valve technician at a power station.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cSay your life is 12ft ruler, I\u2019m down to 10 inches. I\u2019ve worked all my life, and I\u2019d have liked to have gone away and enjoyed the bit that I\u2019ve got left. But now, I\u2019m just living in a motorhome. I\u2019m retirement age, and I\u2019ve got bowel cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to have to keep working, but to be honest with you, I\u2019m not fit enough to go to work, I\u2019m not well enough. But I have to go.\u201d<\/p>\n