Very, very happy (but a bit bewildered)
- Thread starter Harvestman
- Start date
Haven't actually collected it yet. That's tomorrow, then it needs a new MOT as the old one ran out two weeks before it was stolen 
Will feel better when I see it.
Will feel better when I see it.
You're destined to walk to work regardless.then it needs a new MOT as the old one ran out two weeks before it was stolen
Biker
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Just read this threadStarted off feeling sick about this whole thing, but now feel a whole lot better having got this far. Hope the rest of your kits in the car too.
Okaaaay, car has been retrieved. Intact. Undamaged, with almost 3/4 tank of fuel (pretty much what was in it), and all of its contents. I mean all of them.
It seems that whoever took it drove 20 miles or so north to Crickhowell, parked the car on a housing estate, and left it. The local residents say it was there for a week before they realised it was abandoned, and only because they had visitors and it was blocking their drive. So they looked at it and saw it was unlocked, and the keys were in the ignition (and had been for a week).
Basically, someone needed a lift home, so burgled our house, took our keys, stole the car, and drove it home, then abandoned it. I'm utterly bewildered at the sort of mindset required to do that, but delighted to get it back with no need for any sort of an insurance claim. MOT is booked for tomorrow, so I will have a functional car tomorrow evening.
I'm baffled though. You commit burglary and theft, take someone's car, and then balk at stealing anything from within that car???!!! They drank about half a can of diet coke from our car supplies, and that's it. Oh yes, and they left a t-shirt on the back seat that wasn't there when we last used the car, so that is now bagged in a clean ziplock freezer bag and awaiting collection by the police.
People that stupid should have been removed by evolution by now.
Ah well, I'm happy.
It seems that whoever took it drove 20 miles or so north to Crickhowell, parked the car on a housing estate, and left it. The local residents say it was there for a week before they realised it was abandoned, and only because they had visitors and it was blocking their drive. So they looked at it and saw it was unlocked, and the keys were in the ignition (and had been for a week).
Basically, someone needed a lift home, so burgled our house, took our keys, stole the car, and drove it home, then abandoned it. I'm utterly bewildered at the sort of mindset required to do that, but delighted to get it back with no need for any sort of an insurance claim. MOT is booked for tomorrow, so I will have a functional car tomorrow evening.
I'm baffled though. You commit burglary and theft, take someone's car, and then balk at stealing anything from within that car???!!! They drank about half a can of diet coke from our car supplies, and that's it. Oh yes, and they left a t-shirt on the back seat that wasn't there when we last used the car, so that is now bagged in a clean ziplock freezer bag and awaiting collection by the police.
People that stupid should have been removed by evolution by now.
Ah well, I'm happy.
They aren't stupid Mike. They realise that the police just issue a crime number for car crime and don't even bother to investigate. They also know that if caught in your home without actually "breaking in" they will be let go if they claim confusion of needing to use a phone or other feeble excuse. Even if caught driving the car, if unemployed they face no fine and the chance of custodial sentencing is slim.
They have nothing to fear from breaking into your home.
They have nothing to fear from breaking into your home.
He only borrowed it, probably saw you drop the key and saved himself a long walk over the brecons. He didn't steal anything,left it undamaged with the key for the police to return to you. I thought he was quite a considerate thief.
Biker
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Great news Mike, a rare event indeed! Really pleased to know something this sort of thing has happened to and it not be some sort of urban myth.
Now buy a lottery ticket, two in fact. Gotta be worth it with your current stroke of luck... and then remember your friends (me f'rinstance)
Now buy a lottery ticket, two in fact. Gotta be worth it with your current stroke of luck... and then remember your friends (me f'rinstance
)
To be fair to the police, they seem to have made a decent effort on this one, and got it back in a week. We have felt well looked after throughout. Car theft is an uncommon crime hereabouts, so they seem to have made a good effort.
Hmm. Considerate, possibly. No way they could have seen the key be dropped as it was seen indoors the day the car was taken, and wasn't taken out. Also the thieves had to come into a cul de sac to enter the house to then take the car. Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate the lack of damage and the return of property, but the stress, distress and inconvenience (not to mention £250 in costs by the time we got it back) doesn't leave me feeling much of their consideration.
Great news Mike, a rare event indeed! Really pleased to know something this sort of thing has happened to and it not be some sort of urban myth.
Now buy a lottery ticket, two in fact. Gotta be worth it with your current stroke of luck... and then remember your friends (me f'rinstance
Do I know you?
Interesting - reading over your account it seems to me the scenes of crime said "nothing to test" and then they did nothing until a member of the public found your car and reported the fact.
You could read it like that I suppose. I wasn't expecting them to do a comprehensive search of the 300 mile radius that the car could have ended up in given its fuel load. I'm not sure that there was anything to test either. Anyway, it doesn't matter because I got my vehicle back intact, and I feel it went a lot better than it might have done. I'm inclined to give the benefit of any doubt.
Indeed - alls well that ends well and I'm delighted - but I think the police had little to do with the happy outcome
On the subject of security, as we were earlier on, I did say to my wife this morning as we were buying yet another lock, that all we really had left to get was a portcullis. Any makers on here feel up to the challenge?
P.S. she thumped me for that one! :twak:
P.S. she thumped me for that one! :twak:
Something similar appended to US about 15 years back.
Some git took the wife's Escort from outside the inlaws in a posh bit of Oxford and dumped it in a carpark in Town. The police took statements and did nowt else. After about 3 weeks and after we got a new car we started getting demands from the car park to pay various fines on it for being left. As soon as we got the first we contacted the car parking company and the police and a couple of days later ( in the meantime more demands to pay fines arrived threatening court action) the police arranged with the insurers to have the car shipped north as the wife was by then 8 months pregnant and couldn't even get behind the wheel!.
No one was caught for it, I don't think they even tried. Some scroat had wanted a lift into town and all the other cars were expensive with good security and our banger was easy meat. The one good thing was the inlaws were so mortified it had happened on their nice street they paid for a chunk of the new to us Mondeo!
It was during one of those periods of heightened fear over some terrorist threat or other and the police did tear the parking people a new one about not reporting a abandoned car in the centre of Oxford even after three weeks.
Anyroad I'm really glad zou got it back and didn't have too much hassle.
ATB
Tom
Some git took the wife's Escort from outside the inlaws in a posh bit of Oxford and dumped it in a carpark in Town. The police took statements and did nowt else. After about 3 weeks and after we got a new car we started getting demands from the car park to pay various fines on it for being left. As soon as we got the first we contacted the car parking company and the police and a couple of days later ( in the meantime more demands to pay fines arrived threatening court action) the police arranged with the insurers to have the car shipped north as the wife was by then 8 months pregnant and couldn't even get behind the wheel!.
No one was caught for it, I don't think they even tried. Some scroat had wanted a lift into town and all the other cars were expensive with good security and our banger was easy meat. The one good thing was the inlaws were so mortified it had happened on their nice street they paid for a chunk of the new to us Mondeo!
It was during one of those periods of heightened fear over some terrorist threat or other and the police did tear the parking people a new one about not reporting a abandoned car in the centre of Oxford even after three weeks.
Anyroad I'm really glad zou got it back and didn't have too much hassle.
ATB
Tom
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