Heartless thief steals electric scooter from Main Beach woman with autism

A Main Beach resident said his autistic wife had been left devastated after her scooter was stolen from their building’s carpark.

A Main Beach resident said his autistic wife had been left devastated after her electric scooter was stolen from their building’s carpark.

It comes after a security system expert told the Bulletin last week he blamed unprecedented wet weather for a spike in thefts from underground carparks and basements.

Gold Coast Security Cameras director Justin Murray said he had received many reports of secure car parking fobs and controllers that had “malfunctioned from water damage”.

Daniel Hynes and Levy Dee have lived in their beachfront unit for half a decade, but incidents of mail theft, identity scamming and car vandalism in recent years has left them on edge.

Main Beach resident Daniel Hynes in his car park, where the scooter was stolen. Picture: Richard Gosling

They were gutted when a man stole Ms Dee’s electrical scooter from the carpark complex recently.

“(My wife) was absolutely devastated when her scooter was stolen,” Mr Hynes said.

“It was really important for her – it’s something so simple, but it was very upsetting for her, and troubles her still now.”

Footage of the theft was captured on CCTV and reported to police.

“You can only put up with this for so long, because who knows what’s going to happen next?” Mr Hynes said.

He believed there was a high chance someone familiar with the building was behind the theft.

“He walked straight through our carport, even though it’s a secure area,” he said.

“He didn’t go anywhere else, he just made a beeline for it – he knew it was there, I’m convinced.”

How criminals are targeting car parks and basements - July 7

A security system expert has blamed unprecedented wet weather for a spike in thefts from underground car parks and basements.

Gold Coast Security Cameras director Justin Murray estimated this type of crime had “doubled, if not, tripled” over the past few years.

While police could not confirm specific figures, reports of this occurring has been prolific on social media community groups in recent months.

When asked what trends he had noticed, Mr Murray gave a surprising answer.

The security expert said he had received many reports of secure car parking fobs and controllers that had “malfunctioned from water damage”.

In recent months, the La Nina weather pattern has brought record rain and floods to southeast Queensland and other parts of the country.

“All the gates were unlocked and they couldn’t close them until the controllers were repaired,” Mr Murray said.

“A lot of bikes and cars were broken into and stolen during that period.”

He said the youth crime problem, population growth and the shift towards high-rise living had also contributed to the issue.

The Bulletin contacted Queensland Police for comment, but was told it was unable to respond to the media enquiry due to “other work commitments”.

Bond University criminologist Dr Terry Goldsworthy said it was difficult to find data for this specific theft type, but added the reported increase was “not surprising”.

“People can move around now because the Covid lockdowns are finished and those types of areas provide good targets for criminals,” Dr Goldsworthy said.

“People often leave things in their cars that they shouldn’t.

“If you go into a unit block and there’s 30 to 40 cars there, as long as you keep your wits about you and keep your eye on anyone coming in or coming down the lift, you can go through the cars systematically and see what’s of value to you.”

In May, Surfers Paradise woman Jamie Currie fell victim to this crime when two people stole her $11,000 Harley Davidson motorbike from a parking garage.

Ms Currie did not know how the thieves managed to steal the bike because she still had the key.

CCTV of the theft showed two people walk into the garage through an open gate and drive off on the bike minutes later.

Dr Goldsworthy said building managers should keep up to date with the latest security technology, including high resolutions cameras and motion sensor lighting, to deter criminals.

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Originally published as Heartless thief steals electric scooter from Main Beach woman with autism