Dundee woman left terrified by break-in bid
A Dundee woman said she was "terrified" after a man tried to break into her office during broad daylight.
- By Kieran Andrews
- Published in the Courier : 06.08.10
- Published online : 06.08.10 @ 06.45pm
Lauren McCorkindale (26) was getting ready to close up at the Whitehall Theatre on Tuesday afternoon when the man attempted to climb in through an open window.
The administrator was on her own in the office when the incident took place and said she was left badly shaken and worried about him coming back.
"I was just sitting in the office at the end of the day, it was quite late on and I heard the blinds move. At first I thought it was the wind but then I heard them move again," she said.
"I looked round and saw a scruffy-looking guy trying to climb in through the window, which was open because it was hot, then he just bolted down the road.
"I was terrified and let out a big scream and then phoned my boyfriend after the guy had run away."
Lauren called police and officers visited the theatre yesterday to dust for fingerprints.
Although the incident passed quickly, it left Lauren feeling shaken and uneasy about the possibility of something similar taking place.
What shocked her beyond the initial scare was the man's boldness in trying to make his way into the theatre, which is situated on the corner of Bellfield Street and Hawkhill.
She said, "I just couldn't believe that he had the sheer audacity to try and break into an office during broad daylight — he only ran because he saw me. I didn't want to go anywhere on my own for a while.
"Because it was the end of the day I was just in the process of shutting down, but I was just so surprised anyone would try something like that."
Even though the would-be thief may have thought he had found an opportune moment to target the building, Lauren is convinced even if he had got inside he wouldn't have been able to make off with anything of value.
"The Whitehall has been quite quiet recently as we've only had one show, so maybe he thought it was closed and because we have a bar and a cafe there would be something for him to steal," she added.
"Everything valuable is locked up tight, though, so he wouldn't have been able to get into it."
Add a comment