A FOOTBALL fan says his car was left unrecognisable after he came back from a match to find it had been gutted by car cannibals.
Dr Tim Merchant can’t have been pleased when his beloved Norwich City went down 1-0 to Birmingham, only for him to be left stranded at the ground.
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Dr Merchant returned to find that thieves had smashed the window on his Toyota Yaris and ripped off almost the entire front end.
He now claims he has been forced to rely on lifts from friends to get to work as his vehicle is well and truly out of action.
He told BBC News: “The car was completely wrecked.
“The entire bonnet had been removed.
“The front driver’s window had been smashed, the bonnet gone and all the electricals hanging out.
“I felt afraid, I was in a city I didn’t know.”
Dr Merchant claimed that the owner a garage near where he had parked had shared CCTV footage which showed the criminal gang at work.
He went on: “Someone approached in a black Volkswagen and after four minutes, then pulled away.
“I could almost see my car being worked on and destroyed.”
Photos of the aftermath show the motor with its engine bay completely exposed.
The front bumper, grille, headlights and number plates had all been removed.
The crime is known as car cannibalism and involved crooks stripping vehicles of valuable but easy to remove parts to sell on for profit.
Thankfully the community has rallied around Dr Merchant in his hour of need.
Not only did he thank fellow fans from both teams for their support on the day, but a GoFundMe set up to pay off the £700 excess on his insurance is close to reaching its target.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: “We are studying CCTV footage and would appeal for anyone with any information to please contact us.
“When [vehicle crime] happens, we will follow lines of inquiry and work to identify and arrest offenders.
“We’re also committed to arresting those involved in chop shops and others involved in the illegal trade in spare parts.”
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