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Case Studies - Could it really happen to me?�

Students who have suffered at the hands of burglars at university or college gave us accounts of their experiences.

If you wish to speak to one of the following for further details, please contact the Endsleigh media team and we would be happy to help set something up.

Other case studies are available on request, covering the whole of the UK.

Click on the name of the student to be taken to their case study.

Alanna Stibbons - University of East Anglia
Caroline McKenzie-Hill - University of Bristol
Helen Turner - University of East Anglia
Jibran Ahmed - Imperial College, London
John Askins - University of Birmingham
Nick Jones - Sheffield University
Philip Barber - University of Sussex
Sebastian Bourn - University of Nottingham

Alanna Stibbons, University of East Anglia

Expensive Christmas gift stolen...

Alanna Stibbons had just got back from visiting her family for Christmas in her first year at the University of East Anglia and was keen to catch up on everybody�s news. She was watching television in Halls with her 15 fellow housemates, when one of her housemates saw someone running across the roof.� No one thought anything of it, as many of her friends in Halls knew of someone who had got up on the roof for a dare.

When Alanna went to her room later in the evening, she realised that somebody had smashed her window and stolen her digital camera � an expensive Christmas present, just days old.� She informed security and the police, but the thief was never caught. Because Alanna was insured through Endsleigh, she was able to replace the camera quickly and efficiently.

Caroline McKenzie-Hill, University of Bristol

The mysterious disappearing laptop...

A mystery surrounds the disappearance of Caroline McKenzie-Hills� laptop. Caroline returned from visiting her sister and new niece in Hong Kong to find that her laptop, a piece of equipment necessary for her third year of her course in anatomy at the University of Bristol, had been stolen.

Caroline�s five male housemates had all been in residence at the house during her absence, and no forcible means of entry could be detected to the property. The boys suspected their cleaners, however the police were quick to point out that it could just as easily have been one of Caroline�s five housemates, as cleaners would be too obvious a suspect. An amnesty was suggested, however this did not produce the laptop.

Covered by an Endsleigh policy, despite the fact there was no sign of forced entry, Caroline�s claim was settled within two weeks. This speedy response ensured her studies were not disrupted.

Helen Turner, University of East Anglia

A costly house party...

In January 2004, Helen Turner and her three other housemates threw a Mexican themed party at their digs in Norwich.

Sensibly Helen had decided to invite only a select number of guests. As the invited partygoers all arrived in sombreros and fake moustaches, it was easy to spot the gatecrashers, who turned up as the party got into full flow.

Before the party, Helen agreed that her room could be turned into the Cancun area where copious amounts of tequila shots and corona beers could be consumed at a rapid rate. All of Helen�s valuable items were stored in a friend�s room on the first floor, well out of harms way. Or so she thought�

Half way through the evening Helen decided that she wanted to christen her new Christmas present � a beautiful digital camera. As she scrambled around looking for it, it began to dawn on her that the camera was not there.

Understandably, Helen became quite upset and asked everybody to go home. As it was only 11pm most people ignored her request.� Helen�s housemates eventually managed to calm her down by reassuring her that somebody must have picked the camera up to take a quick snapshot, and that it was bound to turn up in the morning.

Waking up with a sore head, Helen�s mood was not lightened by the realization that her camera had indeed been stolen. Helen phoned the police and got in touch with her insurer, Endsleigh. Her insurance cover meant that Helen�s stolen camera was replaced with the latest version.

Endsleigh reacted quickly and effectively. In Helen�s own words, �They were fantastic� and she now has a new camera, which she can use the next time she wishes to revisit the sandy Mexican beaches or climb the ruins of the ancient Aztec kingdom!

Jibran Ahmed, Imperial College, London

Theft over Christmas holidays...

Whilst spending Christmas at home with his family, Jibran Ahmed, an electronic engineering student at Imperial College London had a call from his landlord. He told Jibran that there had been a break in, and that it appeared some belongings had been taken.

When Jibran returned, he found that his Armani watch, some clothes, a bracelet, a CD player and a CD rewriter had been taken. The CD rewriter was worth hundreds of pounds alone, and was also a vital piece of equipment for his course at Imperial College London.

When he called the police, they came to the house to carry out forensic tests, but were unable to follow up the incident. With his crime number, Jibran was able to claim for his things through his Endsleigh policy, as he opted to include vacation cover, and was impressed with the speed and quality of service that he received.

John Askins, University of Birmingham

Valuables stolen upstairs � while playing Playstation downstairs...

John Askins and his housemates had decided to spend an evening in playing Playstation at their house in Sellyoak, Birmingham. The four University of Birmingham students were in the lounge downstairs when, unbeknown to them, a thief was in action upstairs.

John went upstairs at some point during the evening to find that his mini disc player, and some CDs and DVDs had been taken. He had left the window open, and when the police came round to assess the situation, they suspected that a child had reached in through the bars on the window and the snatched the items.

Police managed to retrieve empty CD cases, but nothing else. Luckily John was covered through an Endsleigh student policy. His claim covered all remaining items and he was reimbursed within a matter of weeks.

Nick Jones, Sheffield University

Robbed during a loo stop...

Nick was out with his friends in Sheffield watching a Champions League game on the big screen at his local pub last November.� Being just around the corner, he ran home to answer a call of nature to avoid the queue in the pub.� He went into the house through the back door, closing it behind him, but not locking it.

Unbeknown to Nick, and shrouded from view by bushes at the back of the house, an intruder got in through the back door while he was at the toilet. As he left to return to the pub, Nick noticed that something was amiss.� In total, a mini iPod, a video camera and PlayStation 2 were taken, along with a number of games. Luckily Nick had taken out appropriate cover with Endsleigh, and was able to replace all the stolen items - he even managed to replace his favourite game, Pro Evolution 4!

Philip Barber, University of Sussex

Thieves strike during exam...

Philip Barber was a final year modern languages student who had just finished his final exams at the University of Sussex. As the invigilator informed the students to put their pens down, Philip started to dream of the pubs, the clubs and of course a lucrative career. However, as he left the exam hall he picked up a voice message from one of his housemates. To his horror Philip heard that he had been burgled.

Philip rushed home to find his iPod, his SLR camera and his passport had been stolen. Having survived for three years without being burgled, Philip assumed that he had escaped the hassle that the majority of undergraduates face during their university lives. But criminals have no feelings, and on what should have been one of the happiest days of his life, Philip was left calling the police.

Having reported the incident to the local constabulary, Philip then informed Endsleigh of his break in. His insurance policy meant Endsleigh quickly and efficiently replaced the stolen iPod and camera and reimbursed Philip for the cost of replacing his passport.

Sebastian Bourn, University of Nottingham

Burgled � not once, but twice...

Sebastian Bourn didn�t have much luck with burglars during his time as a medical student at the University of Nottingham.

In the space of just eight months he was burgled twice. Once he was even in the building at the time of the break in: the thief managed to enter the house by breaking a small kitchen window, whilst Sebastian was upstairs watching a football match on the TV in his room.

The thief got away with a digital camera and a laptop - a critical piece of equipment for his degree course.� The laptop contained dozens of important research documents and pieces of coursework.

Luckily for Sebastian, he had taken out a suitable policy with Endsleigh. His cover meant that all the stolen items were replaced, and luckily his coursework was backed up on floppy disks.� If he hadn�t made copies of his work, Sebastian would have had a real task on his hands to replace his assignments.