Brighton burglar targets holiday-makers, takes off with $30K of jewellery

A Brisbane bayside couple have offered a generous reward to recover over 50 items taken from their home in a brazen robbery.

A family holiday to Fraser Island came to a screeching halt when thieves ransacked a Brighton home and stole more than $30,000 worth of jewellery, homewares and priceless memories.

Brighton couple Donna Crew and Peter Hansler were bombarded with missed calls, voicemails and Facebook messages when they returned from a day trip to their island resort on Tuesday, January 5.

Ms Crew was on holiday at Fraser Island when thieves stole more than $30,000 worth of jewellery from her Brighton home.

Their fortnightly cleaner had opened the front door to their home on Beaconsfield Tce to find their back entrance “smashed in”, pried open with a crowbar and the locks taken off.

“It was terrible,” Ms Crew said.

“We took the next available barge and drove for three and a half hours just to get home as fast as we could.”

More than 50 items of jewellery, fragrances, bags and homewares had been taken from the home, with an estimated value of more than $30,000.

A sample shot of Ms Crew's jewellery. This piece, alongside many others, were taken from the Brighton home last week.

Among the items taken was a diamond ring given to Ms Crew by her mother, a gold charm bracelet she’d added to for more than two decades, and a black onyx and diamond ring custom-made while on holiday in Singapore.

The most heartbreaking loss, however, was a $20 storage box belonging to Ms Crew that contained all of her mother’s day cards, birthday cards and drawings made by her son when he was a child.

“Even if the insurance pays out, I can never get that sentimental value back,” Ms Crew said.

“I’m not okay, I don’t feel safe in my own home anymore.”

A neighbour's CCTV footage shows this car circling their block several times on the suspected night of the break in.

Forensic police reviewed the crime scene shortly after the break in and investigations are ongoing.

In the meantime, the couple have launched their own crime-fighting campaign on social media, appealing to the public for any information that could help them track down their stolen items.

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Ms Crew has offered a $500 cash reward and frequently searches both community pages, online marketplaces and local pawn stores for further information.

Just one clue emerged: a neighbour’s CCTV footage shows a pale green Mazda circling their block three times on the evening of the burglary.

“It showed someone constantly lurking in the area,” Ms Crew said.

“It’s very strange to see a car going around and around the block at that time of night, the final time was around 1.30 in the morning.”

Ms Crew is working from home until the back door can be properly fixed, and said the horrific experience has forced the couple to re-evaluate their home security system.

“To our neighbours we’d say definitely lock up and make sure you have security cameras and motion sensors if you go away,” she said.

“Take your valuables to someone else’s home, or take them with you, just don’t leave them at home.”

If you have any information you can make an anonymous tip to Police Link by calling 131 444.