By Brendan Rees
A brazen thief has been captured on surveillance video stealing from a car parked at Timbarra P-9 College in Berwick.
Footage shows a white Mitsubishi Magna pull up in the carpark about 11.20am on Saturday 14 September.
A man can be seen getting out and walking away from his car. However, within a few metres he stops and turns back towards the rear of the victim’s car, a Ford Ranger, parked nearby.
The footage shows the man breaking the lock to the canopy before stealing tools and driving off in the Magna within seconds.
The victim, tradesman Mark Shepherd, said he had parked his car between 11.30am and 1pm to watch his kids play basketball finals at the school stadium.
He says he didn’t realise his tools, worth about $4,000, were missing until the next day.
“I’ve gone to get something out the back of my car and the back wasn’t locked onto its latch,” he said.
Mr Shepherd of Pakenham said power tools, saws, a radio, electrical testers, drills multimeters, hand tools, and other items were missing.
“I’ve got cameras at home. I knew that I had locked the doors on the car, and so I went through the last three days before for footage but nothing came up,” he says.
His wife then told him to check with Timbarra P-9 College as to whether they had footage.
“Next minute after we parked the guy broke into my car,” he explained.
He said the bandit moved quickly and couldn’t tell how he broke-in. “It could be a screwdriver, could be ripping on it real tight.”
“I can’t believe it,” he said.
The self-employed electrician who runs his business, Shepherd Electrical, said it was about the third time this year his car had been hit by thieves.
“One other time at the basketball stadium in Cranbourne, there was a few things knock off from there,” he said.
“Second time – I can’t pinpoint he day but there was stuff missing from my car … I reckon it keeps on happening at these basketball games.”
He said he hoped his car insurance would cover the lost.
The registration of the Magna is TRT 831.
Narre Warren police are investigating. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
