Aussie woman's warning after simple holiday mistake ends in 'really scary' incident
The Melbourne blogger has shared her experience and the mistake she made.
A Melbourne woman is warning others to be vigilant after she experienced a frightening ordeal which led to her needing to change the locks on her house.
Having flown back to Melbourne from Sydney, Laura Henshaw arrived at work and went about her day as usual. She then drove home in her car and parked in the street outside her house at around 6.30pm.
Later the podcast host, and co-founder of a fitness app, remembered she left her suitcase in the car, but when she went to get it Ms Henshaw found her Audi Q3 was nowhere in sight.
"I went outside at about 10.30pm to get my toothbrush out of the car because I left my suitcase in there, and it had disappeared," she said on TikTok over the weekend, saying "it was definitely locked".
"It was really really scary. We have also now changed all the locks in our house."
Ms Henshaw had CCTV footage of the theft, and claimed it was a person riding a bike who stole the car at about 9.30pm — only an hour before she went outside.
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'I never thought it would happen to me'
The matter is now with Victoria Police. "It has now been almost 48 hours and we haven't heard anything, so I'm not sure how long its going to take or if they're going to find it," she said on Sunday.
Ms Henshaw said she was also sharing her experience as a cautionary tale to "not leave stuff in your car".
"It's crazy, I'd heard of so many people getting their car stolen, but I never thought it would happen to me," she said. "It's a reminder to not leave stuff in your car — I'm so annoyed I left my suitcase in there."
She was upset that she had lost all her makeup but was thankful "no one was hurt".
Nearly 10 per cent of Australians have experienced car theft, according to recent research by Compare the Market. Queensland, amid increasing levels of youth crime, has the highest rate of car thefts, while Victoria sits closely in second place, followed by NSW.
Top crime prevention tips for vehicles
Remove all valuable items. If you must leave some, put them in the boot or a locked glove box.
Remove GPS and dashcam units.
Lock all doors and shut all windows.
If you need to park on the street, park in a well-lit area.
Install anti-theft screws on number plates
Consider CCTV and light sensors if parked in a driveway or near the home.
Source: Victoria Police
Yahoo News Australia has reached out to both Laura and Victoria Police for more information.
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