Harrowing moment masked man armed with hammer breaks into home to steal miniature dachshund

27 July 2023, 17:57 | Updated: 27 July 2023, 18:20

Harrowing moment masked man armed with hammer breaks into home to steal miniature dachshund

This is the distressing moment a man armed with a hammer breaks into an Essex home to steal a 16-month-old Dachshund.

Essex Police are appealing to the public to help locate a miniature dachshund, named Twiglet, who was grabbed and stolen from her home in Catmere End, Saffron Walden on Wednesday.

CCTV footage caught the moment the man broke into the home to steal 16-month-old Twiglet.

The man is shown walking into the home’s kitchen wearing a high vis jacket, a hat, face mask and jeans while holding a hammer at his side.

Twiglet scurries into the kitchen visibly distressed by the burglar’s presence, who immediately sets his sights on the young dog.

As the dachshund tries to dodge the burglar’s attempts to capture her, the burglar begins wrestling Twiglet with his hammer still in hand, until eventually he picks her up and carries her out of the home.

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In a statement Essex Police said: “We are appealing for the public’s help to locate Twiglet the Dachshund, who was stolen following a burglary in Saffron Walden on Wednesday, 26 July.

“Officers were called to the address in Catmere End, Saffron Walden yesterday (26 July) following reports of a burglary, which occurred around 3pm.

“A review of the internal CCTV cameras shows a man smashing the patio door and taking 16-month old Dachshund, Twiglet.”

Detective Inspector Jamie Stirland of the force’s Criminal Investigation Department said: “This burglary has been incredibly distressing for the victims and as the public can imagine, they just want to see the safe return of Twiglet.

“Thefts such as these are rare and we are taking this investigation seriously and carrying out multiple enquiries, including reviewing CCTV in the area.

“We are appealing to anyone who may have any information to contact us and assist with this investigation.

“I am also directly appealing to the man in this video, asking him to return Twiglet safely.”

A post shared of Twiglet by Mercer and Hughes Veterinary Hospital read: "One of our vets has had her young dog stolen from her home in the Saffron Walden/ Littlebury area! Please share and make her too hot to handle! She is microchipped!"

Anybody with information on missing Twiglet should contact the police by submitting a report on the Essex Police website, using their online chat service or by calling 101.

If you would like to make an anonymous report you can contact independent charity @CrimestoppersUK, by visiting their website or by calling 0800 555 111.

Please quote incident 739 of 26 July when providing any information.