Car owner slams thief

By Dion Teasdale
A YARRA Glen woman has described the man who stole her car as a ‘moron’ and has praised police for returning the vehicle to her.
Mandy Stephens, 18, said she was delighted police recovered her 1995 Mitsubishi Magna from Eltham train station last week after it had been stolen, as reported in the Mail on 11 October.
The car was stolen on Monday, 3 October from a private residence in Farrell Avenue, Yarra Glen, after the thief bungled an attempt to steal $2000 cash from the town’s IGA supermarket.
Ms Stephens said she felt lucky to have the car back, despite the thief having caused $300 damage and getting away with $700 clothing and CDs from the vehicle.
“After it was stolen I thought it would be burnt out and that I would never see it again,” she said.
“There are some scratches, a broken side mirror and the back bumper has been bent up a bit, but other than that the car is in good condition.
“All up, it’s not a bad outcome considering I could have lost the whole thing.”
Ms Stephens, who worked in orchards and horse stables for two years to earn the money for the car, described the thief as “an idiot who needs to grow up”.
“I don’t know what makes someone do such a stupid thing. I think this guy might be a bit of a moron,” she said.
“I’d like to see him get a job, work hard to save up and buy his own car and see how he feels when someone takes it from him.”
Ms Stephens said the man who stole her car was not a smart thief.
“He stole eight of my CDs but then left one of his own in the CD player,” she said.
“He also stole a bunch of serviettes from McDonald’s that I had in the car for my niece and nephew. He could have got his own from one of their restaurants.”
Ms Stephens said she had received a lot of feedback from the Yarra Glen community after a report of the theft appeared in the Mail newspapers.
“Everyone wanted to know if I’d got the car back and if the man who stole it has been caught,” she said.
“It’s nice to know people care. It’s one of the best things about living in a small community like Yarra Glen.” Senior Constable Glenn Piper from Yarra Glen police said officers were investigating items left inside the car.
“There were certain items left in car that don’t belong to the owner and those items are currently being tested for finger prints,” he said.
“This is a good result for the driver and we are hoping to gather enough evidence to help identify the offender.”