Townsville car theft victim tracks down stolen car

Home detective work allowed Loretta O’Leary track down her car which was stolen after thieves snuck into her home while she was in her bedroom.

Home detective work allowed Loretta O'Leary to track down her car which was stolen after thieves snuck into her home while she was in her bedroom. Picture: Evan Morgan

Detective work allowed Loretta O’Leary to track down her car, stolen after thieves snuck into her home while she was in her bedroom.

She said the thieves broke through two doors and stole her handbag with the car keys inside, allowing them to get away with her Mazda 2 from her South Townsville home last Tuesday.

“I was at home, just up in my room but I had the aircon on so I couldn’t hear anything,” she said.

“They broke into my house through the screen door and wooden door.”

Ms O’Leary said her work phone was also taken, but it allowed her sister to track the car.

She said her car was found in good condition the following day in Oonoonba, along with a range of other items including a bicycle she believed was stolen.

“They had a nice collection in there,” she said. The car was being held in a car yard while police dusted it for prints.

“It took a while to process. We’ve completely changed all the locks in the house, we’ve had deadlocks installed,” she said.

Queensland crime statistics show there were 94 unlawful use of motor vehicle offences and in the same month, statistics indicated there were 382 break-ins – the highest number in 10 years.

Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto said Townsville youth and property crime had “spiralled out of control”.

“There are three cars being stolen in Townsville a night, that’s unacceptable,” he said.

“We’ve been advocating strongly for the KAP’s relocation sentencing policy, which will see youth offenders stealing people’s cars and property relocated to a detention centre to do their sentencing at a place like Lake Julias.”

Attention to Detail car detailing business owner Phillip Moravcik said people could take measures to prevent their cars from being stolen.

He said the ghost immobiliser he was importing from England had proven popular.

“It stops any sort of the theft regardless if the key was stolen from inside the house. The way it works the car has a piece of software installed in it and it requires a four-digit pin to be started,” Mr Moravcik said.

He said any of the buttons inside the car could be programmed to become the pin code.

Originally published as Townsville car theft victim tracks down stolen car