WA; Car and baby stolen in less than 30 seconds, says mum

AAP General News (Australia)
02-10-2004
WA; Car and baby stolen in less than 30 seconds, says mum

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PERTH, Feb 10 AAP - A West Australian mother whose car was stolen with her eight-month-old
baby inside today said she was away from the vehicle less than 30 seconds before it was
taken.

Wendy Rowe also told of her relief when her daughter Tilly was returned to her safely
two hours later.

Ms Rowe, of East Fremantle, said she thought she had her keys with her when she left
her car in the driveway of a Fremantle service station while she went to pay for fuel
about 3.20pm (WST) yesterday.

"I grabbed my bag out of the car because I saw this man, and even though he was probably
about 15m away he did look a bit odd," Ms Rowe told Perth radio 6PR.

"I just sort of thought I would grab my bag because it had quite a bit of cash in it
and I thought he might be after a quick snatch.

"I sort of thought everything was in there and I just grabbed my bag and ran in and
then when I saw the queue I turned around to come back out and get Tilly, but of course
he already had the car.

"He must have been watching and he must have run and just jumped in and screeched around
the corner."

A police helicopter was immediately scrambled in a desperate search for the blue Holden
Commodore but it was Channel Nine cameraman Paul Brown who located the stolen car with
Tilly inside about 5.20pm (WST).

"I just stumbled across it and lo and behold there was the car," Mr Brown told 6PR.

"(The baby was) just sort of sitting there, but I sort of didn't hang around too quickly.

"I got in touch with police, and they've done a fantastic job. It's just sort of a
good success story."

Mr Brown said the baby seemed fine when police took her out of the car a short time later.

"When they did pull Tilly out of the car she was a bit flushed in the cheeks and a
bit sweaty on her hair," he said.

"I'm just relieved that everything's okay."

Ms Rowe said her baby was doing well.

"She's fine. She did have like a whole cup of water as soon as she got back to the
police station," she said.

"But she wasn't very grisly at all. I just wonder what happened in those two hours."

A 27-year-old Kardinia man has been charged with stealing a motor vehicle and committing
an act likely to endanger the life of a child under seven years of age.

He was refused bail and was to appear in Fremantle Court today.

AAP hn/jv/jlw r

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