An “angry” Leeds mum has hit out at thieves who stole her daughter’s princess dress at Beeston Festival.
Elisabeta Lazar, 42, even returned to the scene of the crime in Cross Flatts Park, 24 hours later to see if anyone was walking around in the cherished glittery violet shiny dress, lined with a white hem. But to no avail, and daughter Miriam, five, remains without her favourite item of clothing.
West Yorkshire Police “closed the case” on the prized possession, according to Elisabeta as she had no video evidence to offer up. The last she saw of it was during the community festival on Saturday, June 25, just before 4pm and she’s appealing for residents to keep their eyes peeled for the item or any rogue princesses.
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The “angry and upset” mum and support worker stowed the dress away in her daughter’s pushchair during the festivities. Miriam had stripped out of the dress and changed into something more practical as she wanted to go down a set of slides and the dress was “too heavy” for such activities.
Elisabeta, based in Armley, said: “It was only like £20 [from Primark], it’s nothing really. I’m upset because of the way they’ve acted, if they asked me maybe I would have given it to them for free as a present. I feel horrible. I am very frustrated.
“I’ve got to be honest with you, I’m very angry. I am upset. This is horrible. I used to give away clothes and food. We’ve all been there, living day by day with a small income and you struggle, it’s true. It’s one thing to accept someone’s clothes but to take it from someone’s pushchair, honestly, it’s horrible.
“I know for sure it was stolen. It’s just a dress but it’s just an awful thing to do.”
The 42-year-old called up the police force who made a record of it but had to “close the case” due to insubstantial evidence. Elisabeta and Miriam set about taking matters into her own hands, after she broke the awful news to her daughter.
Elisabeta said: “I didn’t want to tell her but I told her [24 hours later] it’s gone, someone’s snatched it. Then we went to the park and she was looking around, like me. Sometimes it happens, they steal it, wear it and come back.”
West Yorkshire Police were asked for a comment. Elisabeta and Miriam's search for the dress continues, if you have any information that can help, you can call police on 101 quoting the reference code 13220344316.
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