Someone tried to steal my car now I'm worried

mishkanorman

So for all the OP (or the police for that matter) knows, this guy also witnessed someone trying to steal the car, scared them off and tried to steer the car to safety and got nothing but a battering for it.

OP was out of order, they over reacted and were pretty lucky !

yvonne13_2

mishkanorman wrote: »

So for all the OP (or the police for that matter) knows, this guy also witnessed someone trying to steal the car, scared them off and tried to steer the car to safety and got nothing but a battering for it.

OP was out of order, they over reacted and were pretty lucky !

He was no witness he took my car. My neighbour saw him walk on the street and open the door and take it.

RacyRed

Wow! Interesting reactions to this.

To me the important points are that:-

1. Someone was spotted freewheeling a car AWAY from the house it belonged to during the night.
2. Police are called and told someone is stealing a car
3. Police arrive and find car owner (that fact can be quickly proven) trying to physically prevent an unknown person taking away the car.
4. Police appear to immediately ask the unknown person if they want to press assault charges against the car owner.
5. Police appear to make no attempt to ensure that a theft of the car wasn't being committed. They do not ask the car owner if they want the situation investigated.

IMO this was very badly handled and was completely the WRONG message for the police to be sending out. Again. They didn't look at the full picture and didn't handle the situation very sensitively at all.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti police, but somewhere their priorities have gone completely off the rails.

Remind me someone, who is it the police force are there to protect?

mishkanorman

yvonne13 wrote: »

He was no witness he took my car. My neighbour saw him walk on the street and open the door and take it.

so your neighbour witnessed him doing it and then FULLY described him in the dark from the view from her house. And from that full and accurate description you were able to say without any doubt that in the time you were away from the phone and leaving your property the original person hadnt left the car and this person having seen what happened intervened ?

Your OP stated you didnt even know how many of them there were ? AND you thought him to be half the age he was !

If you had kept a calm head the police would be able to deal with the only crime commited, as it was you gave them a tit for tat situation which left you open to prosecution too. As it was they probably could forsee you dropping charges so he didnt press charges against you and they saved themselves a whole ton of paperwork !

3v3

PinkKiwi wrote: »

Are you for real?? The OP had no idea if this man was going to turn on her so what do you expect her to do politely tap him on his shoulder before hitting him? I would have used more than my hand as would anyone if it had been me in that situation.

Why is it always the victim that is seen as the criminal? If he was big enough to steal a car he's big enough to take a slap round the head I wish OP would have used her high heel! ...

Yes, of course I am for real.

The OP didn't need to do anything; the Police had been called, she was watching from her gate (initially!), he wasn't *in* the car, but pushing it and near enough for her to see him at it, spy from her gate and jump on him from behind (all this in the time it took for a) her neighbour to report it to the Police, and b) for her to also call the OP (hardly the fastest of "get aways").

No, of course I don't expect, nor suggest, she tap him on the shoulder.

The question is: who is the victim in this instance? The guy was assaulted, a sustained attack - do tell me, in which British law book is a suspected (or even convicted!) car thief subjected to corporal punishment (physical assault) these days?

The OP has every right to feel aggrieved; nor do I say it's ok for someone to steal something belonging to someone else either. However, the OP has described a scenario whereby she admits she didn't take reasonable steps to secure her vehicle, checked out the scene before she took any action at all (despite knowing the Police were on the way) and decided she had the right to attack him from behind, repeatedly and can't understand how that is ... wrong!?

I don't make the laws; I abide by them! If you think someone pushing your car away, and you assaulting them (despite knowing the Police were on the way) is right and proper, then do campaign to have the laws of the land altered to suit your perspective.

Also, do bear in mind, you only have one side of the story. But, don't let that stop you - fortunately, that is why we have courts and juries

Now, if the guy *does* decide to prosecute the OP for assault, then, when a court hears *both* sides of the story, they can decide if and what punishment is justified and the fact her car was in the process of being pushed from her property would obviously have some weight. By that same token, the circumstances of any force used by the OP will also be taking into account. Read it again: she attacked him from *behind*; she administered a sustained attack and didn't stop until told to do so by Police Officers.

Two wrongs don't make a right!

gemmalouanna

I remember when my first car got stolen when I was 17. A little old Fiesta but I was chuffed that I had saved up money from my part time job whilst at Uni to pay a few hundred for it and then about a grand for the insurance.

Some 16 year old scrote stole it and when I went into the police station for them to explain what had happened they told me I needed to be "understanding" as the boy had issues and it was one of his first offences! Like I care I said - I am just worried about the costs to me!

Anyway as it turned out my dad knew the dad of the scrote and his dad gave me a few hundred pound to get new locks/CD player etc!

busiscoming2

The offender got what he deserved in my opinion. The OP was probably in a state of shock and anger, she just reacted and I for one find it fully understandable. At the time she didn't know she had left the car unlocked, not that it makes any difference, he was trying to steal it regardless. I can't believe the police didn't arrest him.

j.e.j.

yvonne13 wrote: »

He said he saw the car rolling down the street with no-one in it and was trying to stop it crashing.

Unfortunately that sounds like an innocent enough explanation, I suppose, even though it totally contradicts what your neighbour said and witnessed. This guy knows what he's doing, doesn't he.

As for attacking him, you were frightened of him (let's face it, it was you against a bloke, fgs!!) and for all you knew he could have had a weapon, so you can argue you weren't using unreasonable force.

It IS bonkers that someone defending their property is often then prosecuted for doing so, and it gives out the completely wrong message.

gemmalouanna

3v3 wrote: »

The OP didn't need to do anything; the Police had been called, she was watching from her gate (initially!), he wasn't *in* the car, but pushing it and near enough for her to see him at it took any action at all (despite knowing the Police were on the way)

A!

Funny because I think that is the reason she DID feel the need to do something. If I could see someone wheeling my car away I would go and slap them off it and not give them chance to start it and drive it away as that is when some damage could be done and I would rather rescue my car beforehand!

Also knowing that I called the police once when I worked in a shop being told they were on their way only for them to phone back 5 mins before the shop was due to close asking if they still needed to attend - I wouldn't wait for them to arrive.

j.e.j.

I'm starting to think 3v3 could be this guy's defence lawyer :rotfl::rotfl: