Thieves stole my little girl’s play car – and the memories we were hoping to make with it
A DEVASTATED dad has launched a desperate appeal after thieves stole a miniature car he’d lovingly built for his three-year-old daughter.
Self-employed builder Alan Thompson created a miniature 1950s-style Land Rover for daughter Elise to enjoy and create lifelong memories.
The doting dad invested £2,000 and spent a year building the vehicle which would go on to be used on a regular basis.
Alan has now been forced to take to social media in an attempt to track down the Land Rover after thieves stole the miniature car from their home in Hadston, Northumberland, on Monday afternoon.
He said: “Elise was absolutely devastated and in tears.
“It’s part and parcel of her growing up and realising these things happen. My wife Sarah is frustrated but when it first happened, it didn’t sink in for me.
“I got quite upset and I’m not afraid to admit I was crying because of the car’s sentimental value.
“It’s the memories and the memories we were going to make in the future.
“They’d have lifted the cover off and seen my daughter’s sandals and sandy clothes in there from our last outing and still taken it. That’s a sickening thought.”
Powered by 24-volt car batteries, Elise enjoyed trips out in the Land Rover up to four times a week.
The vehicle was usually kept in the family’s garage, but had been left under tarpaulin on the driveway for the last fortnight due to Alan’s latest building project.
Due to the weight of the vehicle, Alan believes it would have taken at least two people to wheel the miniature Land Rover away.
Alan, 31, said: “I had the idea for building it a few years ago before Elise was even born, but I wanted to wait until there was a little one to enjoy it. It was pretty special and one of a kind. I don’t think the thieves will have understood the sentimental value.
“The key has been left here. It’s really heavy – it would not have been easy to wheel away. I would be very surprised if it was just one person.”
The thieves are believed to have struck between 1pm and 5.45pm on Monday.
Alan posted an emotional appeal on Facebook the following day which has been shared thousands of times in a matter of days.
He added: “It’s been totally overwhelming, we’ve had shares all over the world from Australia, Belgium, Holland and the USA. I’m chuffed to bits and hopefully it will lead to some information.”
Northumbria Police is investigating the theft and inquiries remain ongoing.
Anyone with information is urged to contact 101 quoting reference 1152 23/07/18.