Oakham community rallies round blind man who found late-night intruder in his flat

A community has rallied round to support a partially-sighted man after he discovered a late-night intruder in his Oakham home.

Jon Hayre, who has been registered blind from birth, said the response from neighbours and townspeople had restored his faith in human nature after the incident in May.

He was left shaken after someone entered his flat at 11pm.

Luckily he had not gone to bed and his presence scared off the intruder.

"I didn't hear the door open and for my guide dog not to hear it he must have been very quiet," said Jon.

"When he realised I was still awake he closed the door and left.

"It's my own fault for leaving my front door unlocked until I go to bed, but I've lived here for 15 years and never locked it during the day. I do now though.

"Over recent months I have felt less comfortable here because of people moving in and out."

The police took no action after being told the intruder had opened the wrong door by mistake, so Jon decided to post his experience on a community Facebook page.

"The response was absolutely overwhelming," he said.

“I was angry the police had done nothing so wanted to warn the local community to be careful, and within an hour I had people coming up to me in the street offering to help.

"People say neighbourliness is dead, but it's just shifted. Hopefully the situation is resolved now and I won't be getting any more unwanted visitors."

Jon (39), who works at the Burghley Appliances factory, was contacted by Oakham Police beat officer PC Joe Lloyd who helped persuade the housing association which owns the flats to fix the main communal door.

Chris Collins, who launched Rural Crime Rutland last year, set up a GoFundMe page to raise £120 for a Ring Doorbell and a year's subscription.

The doorbell is fitted with a camera and linked to Jon's phone so he can see who is at the door before answering.

The full amount was donated within three hours, and a surplus £85 will be donated to the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association charity.

"We felt Jon needed a little more support and wanted to buy a Ring Doorbell to make him feel safe," said Chris.

"I thought we would get some help, but I was blown away by the community support.

"We had many residents come forward offering to help fix the communal door, fit the camera and donate money."

A local PCSO also visited Jon and arranged, through the housing association, for a combination lock to be fitted to the back gate.

Rutland County Council's Housing Support also got in touch to discuss moving to new accommodation and Jon is hopeful of a new start elsewhere.

"There is a lot to be said for living in a small community," he added.

"Even away from my street, people would come up to me while I was out walking with my guide dog asking me if I was all right. It's really renewed my faith in human nature."