A mother of five whose stolen car has been found stripped, dumped and destroyed in Snake Valley has pleaded with offenders to understand their actions are taking a serious toll on hard-working Ballarat residents.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Latest Crime Statistics data obtained by Fairfax Media reveal steal from a motor vehicle, non-aggravated burglary, criminal damage and other theft to be the top five crimes recorded in Ballarat over the past five years.
Samantha Medbury said the loss of her car – which was holding Christmas presents, birthday presents and other valuables – has had a severe emotional and financial impact on her and her family’s life.
Ms Medbury had recently purchased the uninsured 6 seater vehicle so she could easily transport her five children to school. Since the theft, the young family has been housebound. Ms Medbury’s eldest autistic son is homeschooled while her other three older children attend local primary schools.
“I first heard the car had been recovered when a friend tagged me in a photo on Facebook and said ‘Is this your car?,” Ms Medbury said.
“It’s been stripped of it’s wheels, the fuel lines have been cut, it’s been ransacked – they’ve taken everything.
“The bumpers are not on, the plates have been gone and the VIN number has been filed off.”
Ms Medbury was contacted by police who fingerprinted the car and offered to tow it at a cost – a cost Ms Medbury couldn’t afford.
“I had to decline it and will have to find a way to get it out of the forest by the end of the week,” Ms Medbury said.
According to the data, Ballarat has one of the highest occurrences of theft of motor vehicle in the state. That number has risen exponentially over the past five years from 643 in the 2011-12 to 1074 between 2014-15.
Ballarat’s highest ranking police officer Superintendent Andrew Allen has repeatedly told The Courier car theft is distressing for all.
“In Ballarat we have seen vehicles not only being stolen but a number have also been dumped and burned,” he said.
“Whether a stolen vehicle is being driven at high speeds or is being used in other criminal activities such as aggravated burglaries or robberies, it is incredibly dangerous, risky behaviour that will not be tolerated.”
Ms Medbury currently faces a long December and January school holidays with housebound children.
“My children know stealing wrong, that you don’t steal. They can’t fathom that there isn’t consequences for these people,” she said.
“This was not a luxury BMW – it was a family car that we need.”
Anyone with information should call Crimestoppers.