College theft deprives teen of costly gift

A TEENAGER is distraught after goods including a £300 iPod, were stolen from her bag at Uckfield Community Technology College.

The mother of Lottie Morphew-Hedges, 14, said the college didn't act quickly enough and should have taken immediate action to prevent the stolen stuff being removed from the site.

At 3pm on Friday November 13 Lottie, of Manor End, asked a friend to look after her bag while she went to the toilet before the final lesson.

Inside the bag was the iPod bought for her by her aunt, a new mobile telephone, a silver bracelet and cash.

But when Lottie returned her bag had gone.

Moments later it was found but without anything inside it.

"She rang me in tears," said her mother Bib Morphew-Hedges. "She was so upset. She was beside herself.

"She wouldn't believe it and thought it was a joke at first."

Mrs Morphew-Hedges said the school should have called the police immediately and started a bag search among the students.

She said: "I just feel they didn't do enough. I feel let down by the college. They just swept it under the carpet."

Lottie's aunt, Jackie Morgan from Horsham, who bought the iPod for her niece said: "If they had done a bag check they could have made an example to those thinking of doing it in the future.

"It would have been a deterrent for anything like this happening again."

Deputy head Mr Evans refuted Mrs Morphew-Hedges' version of how the college had dealt with the theft and said everything that could be done had been done given the circumstances.

Mr Evans said: "There were 2,000 students and staff and any number of visitors. It would have been logistically impossible to start a bag search then.

"We are very disappointed that this has happened and understand the family's distress but believe we are working hard to resolve the issue and we feel we have gone a long way to sorting it out."

Mr Evans added: "College policy states students should not bring anything of value on to the site."