'Police made me feel like a criminal'
A MOTHER was forced to pay £150 to recover her car from a police compound after it was snatched – with her young daughter INSIDE.
Sarah McDonald-Lee was delivering products to homes in Hallcroft when a thief jumped into her car and drove off – with her daughter Sophie still sat in the vehicle.
Fortunately, three-year-old Sophie and the Vauxhall Zafira were traced within 20 minutes after the offender abandoned the vehicle opposite Retford Health Centre.
But Mrs McDonald-Lee’s relief soon turned to anger.
Her car was towed away for forensic examination and a letter arrived from the recovery firm hired by Notts Police.
It stated Mrs McDonald-Lee, of Westhill Road, Ordsall, had to pay 150 to get her car back because it had been ‘abandoned,’ and warned that she could also be charged 20-a-day storage.
She then had to pay a professional cleaning company an extra 40 to get the fingerprint dust removed.
When she contacted police she was told that it was policy to charge the owners of abandoned vehicles.
She and her husband Dan, who was working in Essex when the drama occurred, have now paid the bill and lodged a complaint with the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
Mrs McDonald-Lee, 30, said: ”I feel I’ve been treated more like a common criminal than the victim of a terrible crime. What happened was every mother’s worst nightmare.”
“If the police want someone to pick up the bill they ought to track down the thief and make him pay. He’s the one who stole the car and dumped it so it was obstructing the cycle path, not me.”
“Charging me 150 to get my own car back from the police is scandalous, and just adds insult to injury after all I’ve been through.”
However, Mrs McDonald-Lee did praise police for handling the incident ‘superbly’ on January 19.
She said: ”I blame myself for leaving the key in the ignition. I know lots of mums do it all the time, especially when you’re at someone’s door and you can see the car at the end of the path, but I’ll never do it again.”
“The thief actually looked directly in my face as he jumped into the car. I was screaming and he must have heard me, but he just stared at me with a blank expression and tore away down the road going really fast with smoke pouring from the wheels.”
”I just panicked and started screaming and shouting that my daughter was in the car.”
A Notts Police spokesman confirmed inquiries were still under way to track down the wanted man, and said the force had a set policy requiring owners to pay when abandoned vehicles are recovered from the roadside.
“These matters are set down in legislation, and our policies are probably in line with other forces,” said the spokesman.
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Weather for Worksop
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -5 C to 1 C
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Sunny spells
Temperature: -1 C to 1 C
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