The great 60 second lemon heist: Brisbane mum stunned by 4am tree theft

Neighbours have been calling it ‘the great lemon liberation’ but a Brisbane mum can’t believe footage of a thief brazenly uprooting a lemon tree from her front yard in under 60 seconds. VIDEO

It’s a bizarre crime that’s left one mum both baffled and a bit amused.

Brisbane executive recruiter Ineke McMahon had her morning routine shaken up — not by the school run, but by the daring theft of her small lemon tree.

Ms McMahon, who had just finished dropping her children at school on Friday, returned home to a curious sight: a trail of loose soil stretching from her front garden, snaking up the street towards the next house.

“I was thinking, ‘Where on earth is my tree?’ she said. “It was there yesterday — and it had tripled in size since I planted it a few months ago.”

Her confusion quickly turned to disbelief as she reviewed footage from her home security cameras.

Just after 4am, a white or light-coloured sedan can be seen slowly cruising past her property before circling back.

The great lemon tree heist in Brisbane.

The vehicle then parks just one house up. A woman then exits the car, briskly walks over to the tree, yanks it out of the ground — roots and all — and bolts.

The entire heist took less than a minute.

“It’s honestly the strangest thing I’ve seen,” Ms McMahon said.

“Who steals a citrus tree at four in the morning?”

Irene McMahon’s lemon tree was stolen in under 60 seconds during the early morning hours.

The tree, was a gift to herself — a symbol of growth and home pride.

“It’s not just a tree,” she said.

“It was thriving. It was beautiful. I had used three bags of potting mix to make sure it would grow.”

While neighbours have been left scratching their heads, some have taken to calling it “The Great Lemon Liberation” and suggesting the thief may have had scurvy.

Ineke McMahon who had her lemon tree stolen.

Ms McMahon is urging residents to keep an eye on their gardens.

She said she sent the video to the police on Friday and will follow it up in Monday.

“If anyone suddenly has a suspiciously well-established citrus tree out the front — let’s just say I’ll be asking questions,” Ms McMahon said.

Originally published as The great 60 second lemon heist: Brisbane mum stunned by 4am tree theft