MIDNIGHT THEFT: Katrina Duff says she cannot believe thieves would abandon her car in an empty paddock and set it on fire. Photo: JUDE KEOGH 0618car3
NINETEEN-YEAR-old Katrina Duff said she was heartbroken when she learnt her car had been stolen and set on fire in an empty paddock on Sunday.
The car was stolen from outside her boyfriend’s Nile Street house at about midnight.
The thieves are believed to have taken the car for a joyride before setting it on fire in Annabelle Close.
Police had tried to pull the vehicle over in Dalton Street at about 12.20am, however, the driver failed to stop.
Police officers notified Ms Duff’s mother of the theft and subsequent discovery of the car early yesterday morning.
Ms Duff, who recently completed TAFE studies and works part-time, said she spent two years saving up to buy the Hyundai Excel and relied on it to get to work and socialise.
“It was a perfect little car, it was my independence,” she said.
“I don’t feel like a victim but I worked hard to buy a car.
“I’m at the angry stage. I’m disappointed someone would do that to someone else’s property.”
Ms Duff said she could not understand why the thieves could not find a less-destructive form of entertainment.
“I figure if I’m bored I watch a movie, not go and burn out a car,” she said.
Ms Duff said she would like the low lifes who took her car to think about how much the theft had inconvenienced and upset her.
“It’s heartbreaking, it was my baby,” she said.
Ms Duff says this is the first time her car has been targeted despite having parked it in the same spot for the past 14 months.
While the $2000 car was insured, Ms Duff says she is not sure if she’ll be able to replace the vehicle with one of a similar quality.
“I’ll just have to save up again,” she said.
A police investigation is underway and anyone with information about the theft is urged to contact Orange police.
tracey.prisk@ruralpress.com