Photo: Wales News Service / TheSun.co.uk
One man from South Wales has been duking it out with the local police since August this year, when 2 officers stood by and watched as his 2002 MINI was being stolen and taken to be stripped for parts.
Michael Collison bought the car in December last year and he immediately declared it statutorily off the road so he could have someone work on it and make it roadworthy again, the South Wales Argus reports. He had moved from Cwmcarn, but he left the car on a patch of land outside his home.
One day, he received a call from a neighbor informing him that 2 men had come and were taking his car away on a trailer. Also there were 2 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) who were aiding them. So far, nothing strange.
However, the PCSOs were informed that the car was there legally, but they chose not to intervene. Apparently, the 2 men didn’t have any paperwork with them, even though they said a city councilman had signed off on it being taken away. In other words, the cops stood by and watched as the thieves loaded the car.
Adding insult to injury, they have been refusing to talk to Collison ever since and admit their mistake. The man reported the car stolen right away, and the cops eventually tracked it down, almost 2 months after the fact. Unsurprisingly, not much is left of it: it has been stripped for parts.
“He [the lorry driver] states he acted in good faith but as we now know this is not the case as he had no keys, logbook, paperwork or owner’s permission to collect your vehicle,” an officer tells Collinson in an email obtained by the media outlet. “Your vehicle has since been stripped for parts.”
“This person is very apologetic and now realizes he should not have taken your car without doing some proper checks or having any documentation. He is keen to make amends and has offered to pay you for the value of your car,” the officer adds.
He offers to pursue the matter officially, if Collison wishes to press charges, but that would mean he loses all proposed compensation if the driver is found not guilty during an eventual trial. Collison, on the other hand, says this isn’t even about money: he’s mad 2 cops let thieves walk away with his car and then acted as if they were covering for them. So all he wants is an apology.
One day, he received a call from a neighbor informing him that 2 men had come and were taking his car away on a trailer. Also there were 2 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) who were aiding them. So far, nothing strange.
However, the PCSOs were informed that the car was there legally, but they chose not to intervene. Apparently, the 2 men didn’t have any paperwork with them, even though they said a city councilman had signed off on it being taken away. In other words, the cops stood by and watched as the thieves loaded the car.
Adding insult to injury, they have been refusing to talk to Collison ever since and admit their mistake. The man reported the car stolen right away, and the cops eventually tracked it down, almost 2 months after the fact. Unsurprisingly, not much is left of it: it has been stripped for parts.
“He [the lorry driver] states he acted in good faith but as we now know this is not the case as he had no keys, logbook, paperwork or owner’s permission to collect your vehicle,” an officer tells Collinson in an email obtained by the media outlet. “Your vehicle has since been stripped for parts.”
“This person is very apologetic and now realizes he should not have taken your car without doing some proper checks or having any documentation. He is keen to make amends and has offered to pay you for the value of your car,” the officer adds.
He offers to pursue the matter officially, if Collison wishes to press charges, but that would mean he loses all proposed compensation if the driver is found not guilty during an eventual trial. Collison, on the other hand, says this isn’t even about money: he’s mad 2 cops let thieves walk away with his car and then acted as if they were covering for them. So all he wants is an apology.
Google News