THE apparent dumping of a Mini Cooper S in a shopping car park at Rosebud has baffled business owners, who say that over the past 14 weeks the valuable car has been progressively vandalised, but no owner has surfaced.
Waterfall Gully cafe and nursery owner, Roland, pictured, who did not want his last name published, said he and other shop owners had been waiting for someone to pick up the car, which had not been reported stolen and is considered a collectable. He said they had been disappointed to see its deterioration at the hands of vandals.
He said he had spoken to police who several weeks ago placed a blue police ribbon around the vehicle, which eventually came off.
“Since then, it’s number plates have been stolen and this morning (Friday) we came here to find it had been jacked up and the mag wheels stolen,” he said.
“It’s an unsavoury ending for a car that must belong to someone; it’s got us all curious.”
He says the wrecked vehicle “isn’t enhancing the area” and hopes the owner can be found.
Victoria Police spokesperson Timothy Bail said abandoned vehicles were a council matter.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 15 February 2022
