By Brendan Rees
A retired Cranbourne East couple have spoken of their dismay after heartless thieves stole a plant from their garden.
Doreen said she was shocked to find an empty hole in her front garden where their azalea had been ripped out.
“I always was going to fertilise it and then it was not just a hole in the ground,” she said.
Doreen, who asked not to use her surname, said she and her husband described the thieves as “low lives” and “desperate” given the plant wasn’t worth much.
“Azaleas aren’t that expensive, they’re quite common,” she said, adding she bought hers for about $6 to $7.
She said she wasn’t sure when the incident happened but believe it was sometime between 7-11 September.
“I wish I had caught them. We never heard a thing,” she said. “I know it’s annoying but no other damage was done.”
She said it was a possibility that the thieves had accessed their neighbour’s driveway to avoid their front sensor light from activating.
Doreen added the azalea was planted about four years ago and had until recently begun flowering.
She hoped by sharing their story they could call-out the thief’s behaviour and warn others.
The couple didn’t report it to police believing it wouldn’t be worth their trouble investigating.
