A couple accused of burglarizing a dead grandmother’s home on the day of her funeral were tracked down by police using GPS data from a supposedly stolen Apple Watch.
Kara Buckle, 27, of Hawkesbury, is accused of burglarizing the home of Nola Bulkeley, 81, in Kellyville. in northwest Sydney, last Friday.
During the alleged robbery, the mother of three and grandmother of 10 was being farewelled at a service at Wesley Uniting Church in Castle Hill and later at a wake at the West Pennant Hills Sports Club.
Buckle’s partner, Jacob Pollard, was accused of selling the stolen goods, some of which included cash, electronics and family heirlooms.
Kara Buckle, 27, is accused of burglarizing the home of Nola Bulkeley, 81, in Kellyville, in Sydney’s northwest, last Friday. Her partner, Jacob Pollard, was accused of selling the stolen property (pictured: the couple together)
Bulkeley’s son was horrified to discover the alleged robbery after returning from his mother’s funeral.
“A celebration of mom’s life that obviously goes back to grief,” Andrew Bulkeley told 7News.
Buckle allegedly struck again on Monday, stealing items from David Kim’s Castle Hill home.
“Many of (the allegedly stolen items) were given by my grandmother and since she passed away, they are things that cannot be replaced,” Kim told the network.
Nola Mavis Bulkeley, mother of three and grandmother of 10, died after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Andrew Bulkeley (left) was horrified to discover his mother’s home in Kellyville, in Sydney’s northwest, had allegedly been broken into during her funeral.
How police tracked down suspected thieves
Buckle asked his alleged victim’s neighbor to book him an Uber, claiming his phone had run out of battery.
Police were able to track him to his street, where an Apple Watch he had also allegedly stolen was emitting a GPS signal from inside his home.
“I pinged the address where the watch was last located and told the police,” Kim said.
Buckle put a jacket over her head and refused to answer questions as police led her away in handcuffs.
He was refused bail to appear at Parramatta Local Court on Thursday.
Buckle allegedly struck again on Monday, stealing items from David Kim’s Castle Hill home.
Pollard was granted bail to appear in court on July 3.
It seems that the couples began their relationship at the end of December last year.
Mr Bulkeley, whose mother died pancreatic cancer on May 27, said some of the items, such as cash and iPads, were replaceable, but that her mother’s prized jewelry had sentimental value.
“Mom didn’t have a lot of expensive jewelry, but she had a small variety of items that over the years she talked about with her grandchildren,” Bulkeley previously said.
‘She would talk about when she left Earth; she would be delighted for them to have it. Electronic devices and a little cash, they don’t matter that much.’