Change of habits after son stolen

By Melissa Meehan
STUART Large has changed his morning habits after his Ford Falcon was stolen from a Berwick service station with his four-year-old son Noel still strapped in his seat when he stopped to buy a newspaper.
Almost losing his son was the biggest shock of his life, he later admitted.
Beginning the day with a morning ritual of buying the Herald Sun on the way to work in Noble Park, Mr Large stopped at the petrol station about 5.30am, leaving Noel asleep in the back.
“Every morning I run into the petrol station to buy the paper, with money in hand, I leave the car running with the heater on, so that Noel doesn’t get cold. It takes no more than 30 seconds,” he said.
When Mr Large walked out of the service station about 30 seconds later he saw his maroon Ford Falcon being driven away with his son inside.
The 36-year-old father raised the alarm and police located the vehicle 20 minutes later in the Coles Supermarket car park in Clyde Road, Berwick.
“Noel was found sitting in the same place I left him, he looked like he had just been told off but didn’t seem too stressed at all,” Mr Large said.
“He was waiting for me and asked me what had taken me so long and why there were so many police around but his main problem was that I had taken so long.”
Mr Large said that he believed that the car thief had probably been watching him for some time before the incident, aware of his routine at the petrol station but guessed that he didn’t expect to find a young child in the back seat.
Describing the incident as a horrible experience Mr Large said that he has now changed his routine, dropping Noel off at his grandparent’s before buying the paper closer to work.
It is believed that the thief, although initially unaware that there was a child in the car at the time of theft, called 000 to tell police the car’s location.
It is believed that the thief was picked up in a red four-door Ford Laser with possibly four people in it.
A search of the area by the police dog unit failed to locate the thief who was described as aged between 28-30 years old, thin build with short black hair.
He was unshaven at the time and wearing blue jeans and a dark T-shirt.
Police are appealing for any witnesses or anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.