Shattered Glass and Mint Sweets: A Nighttime Break-in at Brigittes Sumner
The silence on the esplanade was broken pretty rudely the other night at Brigittes Sumner. Michael Rowland-Jones, who runs the place with Jeremy Stevens, got that dreaded call from the security company—the alarm had tripped. It’s never a fun way to wake up, is it? When he finally looked at the CCTV, he saw a Toyota Yaris pull up and a couple of people jump out. They had their faces wrapped up in T-shirts, looking for all the world like they were trying to be invisible.
They didn’t exactly have a delicate touch. The front door handle was ripped right off before they resorted to smashing a glass pane to force their way in. It’s frustrating stuff. Once inside, they grabbed the cash register—which was a complete waste of their energy because the restaurant doesn’t keep cash on site overnight. Talk about bad luck for them, I guess.
They grabbed three bottles of alcohol and—for some reason—managed to knock over a container of mints while bolting out the door. The smell of broken glass and lingering mints probably made the whole scene feel even more absurd. Rowland-Jones says the damage is mostly just an inconvenience, though it’ll run them about $1,000 to get it all fixed up. It’s the first time they’ve been hit since they took over the spot last July.
Misryoum reports that police are looking into whether these same people hit other spots in Christchurch that night. It sounds like Riccarton might have been part of the same spree.
“It’s always concerning knowing people were breaking into your business,” Rowland-Jones said, clearly frustrated but thankful that no one was around to get hurt. He didn’t want to share the security footage, and honestly, you can’t blame him for wanting to keep that private.
Police acting sergeant Paddy Sullivan is asking anyone with info to call 105 and quote 260406/9044. It’s just one of those things—a victimless crime, he called it, but it’s still money out of their pockets at the end of the day. And really, who breaks into a place just to steal a few bottles and leave mints scattered on the floor? I suppose some people just don’t have better things to do with their Sunday night.