Thief targets pregnant woman

A PREGNANT singer from Portishead was left heartbroken after her car was broken into and hundreds of pounds worth of musical equipment stolen.

Frances De-vere Tanner, who sings at venues across Somerset, had left her speakers, leads and microphone in her car, which was parked outside her house, on December 19 as she was worried about dropping it while trying to carry it into her home due to the icy conditions.

Later that day a thief broke into her car by smashing the window and stole �2,000 worth of equipment. He also defecated outside her home.

She said: “I was a bit naive to think Portishead was a nice, safe place. It’s been a bit of a wake up call.

“I have been singing at venues for 18 years and have never had all of my gear stolen. They’ve left me short for my Christmas bookings and I will also have to replace nearly �2,000 worth of stuff.

“The final insult came when we spotted that the perpetrator had decided to go to the toilet on the drive and against our house. I was absolutely disgusted.”

Frances, aged 35, who moved from Glastonbury to the Village Quarter with her partner, was due to perform at a Burnham pub on Christmas Eve and at the Lockhouse in Portishead on New Year’s Eve.

Luckily, she managed to borrow some equipment from a friend so she can still perform at the venues.

The incident has made her more wary now and she is keen to start a Neighbourhood Watch group in the area.

She said: “I feel so sad as I only moved to Portishead in the summer to have a safer life and to be part of a community, but someone had to spoil it.

“I wanted to warn people to be more vigilant and to look out for each other.”

Anyone with any information about the incident is asked to call the police on 0845 456 7000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.