Thief apologises after stealing motorist’s car wheel to replace a flat in Sway

A THIEF has apologised for stealing a wheel from a motorist’s car while it was at a garage for repair work.

The Hyundai was targeted in Sway on 20th January, when the offender took the wheel to replace one on his own Hyundai which had gone flat.

An online police post afterwards said this left the victim, a 72-year-old woman from Boldre, “without access to her car and out of pocket”.

Having traced the offending vehicle, officers seized it for being uninsured, and the stolen wheel was returned to the garage.

A Hampshire force spokesperson later said the offender was issued with an out-of-court disposal, which involved him writing a letter of apology to the victim and attending a victim awareness course.

“The wheel has been returned to the victim and she accepted the apology and was in agreement with the use of an out-of-court disposal,” the spokesperson explained.

“The aim of this is for people to acknowledge the impact of their actions and to prevent reoffending.”

A 37-year-old woman from Pennington was reported for permitting the use of a vehicle without insurance.