"Forgive us?" It might be a bit late for that.
The last thing a Christchurch woman expected to see when returning to her Avonhead home with her young children on Friday afternoon was a stranger apparently walking from her home with her belongings.
Marney captured what happened next on video as she followed the man down the street; her four-year-old can be heard asking if she needs some help yelling at the man.
"I can be quite feisty, especially if it concerns my kids and home," Marney says.
She can be heard yelling on the video: "I've got you on camera. Drop my stuff. All of it ... what else have you got?"
His, cowering, response: "I'm sorry, I've left everything behind. Please forgive us."
"No, I'm not forgiving you," she says.
Jendy Harper, a producer on the Christchurch Dilemmas documentary project, came across the incident on Facebook and interviewed Marney, who wished to be known by only her first name.
Ms Harper said the family had only been out for an hour and Marney thought the man looked suspicious as she drove up. She described it as "cheeky" and in "broad daylight".
Ms Harper said Marney had complained to police and supplied the footage. Marney now wanted to set up a neighbourhood watch on the street.
Police confirmed the incident had been reported to them and a burglary investigation was under way.
