British police goons at work

A couple who bought a £55,000 Porsche as an anniversary present have been left out of pocket after police stormed their home and seized it - claiming it was 'stolen'.

Simon and Susan Walker bought the burgundy Porsche Cayenne 4.8 Turbo for their 25th wedding anniversary from SK Performance in Bolton, Greater Manchester.

However, days later officers arrived at their home in Stockport claiming the vehicle needed to be seized after police in Scotland said they believed the Porsche had been stolen by means of fraud.

The original owner of the vehicle had contacted Scottish police after handing over his car to the Bolton garage, which has since gone into liquidation. He had given it to the garage to sell but never received his money after the sale to the Walkers.

A tracking device still attached to the Porsche showed it was in the Walkers' garage, prompting police to arrive at their home, question them and take the vehicle.

The couple now claim they have been left out of pocket after not only was their vehicle seized but their newly-laid driveway 'damaged' by the responding officer.

They have made a formal complaint to Greater Manchester Police claiming the officer walked across the 'wet' driveway - causing £16,000 worth of damage.

Mrs Walker, 52, said: 'There was red tape across the entrance to the drive. It had just been finished and we weren't allowed to drive on it for at least three days.

'The officer had pushed open my gates, gone through the tape up to my front door. When I told him the drive was new he said 'I thought it was a bit sticky when I was walking across it'.

'After showing him proof that we had bought the car through a bank transfer, he made a call and agreed not to arrest Simon. Instead, he just took the keys for the car.

'But the PC had damaged the drive walking on it before it was dry and we now have seven footprints in it. To put it right the whole driveway needs to be relaid, which will cost £16,000.'

However, in a letter the force says it is not liable for the damage to the resin-bound driveway as the actions of the officer were 'lawful, reasonable, and necessary' and there was 'no signage or writing that stated that a new drive had been laid'.

After their car was seized, the couple tackled the garage owner who showed them an email from an officer in Scotland which said he was satisfied the matter would be resolved between the garage and the original owner in no longer than 14 days.

In the email, the officer adds: 'At this time no criminality can be attributed. I will ask he (the owner) holds off on any further action until you have the opportunity to conclude the financial matters.'

Mrs Walker, who runs a boarding home for rabbits, said: 'The email is dated October 1 - on October 9 the police came to our house, before the end of the 14 days the garage had promised to resolve the issue.'

The garage gave the Walkers two BMWs as compensation for the Porsche being seized.

But Mrs Walker said: 'It was our intention to trade them in at Porsche Wilmslow in exchange for a Porsche Cayenne. But a week later I got a call from an enforcement officer saying the BMWs were going to be seized as part of the liquidation order, and we had no legal right to those cars. Once again we were spoken to like criminals.

'The next day ten enforcement officers turned up at our house. We also got told by Porsche Wilmslow that police had asked them what sort of people we were.'

The Porsche has since been returned to the original owner, resold and is now on sale at a showroom in Essex for £47,500. Meanwhile, the Bolton garage is under investigation by Greater Manchester Police.

Mrs Walker added: 'We were the only people to have their car seized. The whole situation has been traumatic, upsetting and embarrassing having police cars outside our house.'

In a formal complaint to the police force, her husband said: 'We want answers as to why we were treated as criminals and not as victims, and compensation for the damage caused to our property.'

Greater Manchester Police confirmed a complaint has been made and it is investigating.

Original report here


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