A councillor has praised Bracknell police for recovering his wife’s stolen car within minutes of her reporting the theft.

Priestwood councillor Alvin Finch was amazed at the speed with which officers tracked down his wife’s Renault Laguna after it was taken from the car park of the Plough and Harrow in Warfield on Thursday night.

Cllr Finch said his wife was just three minutes into her conversation with the police when she was told the car had been recovered.

Officers saw the car travelling along Jocks Lane in Priestwood, pulled the driver over and realised the vehicle had been stolen.

“10 out of 10 for the police,” Cllr Finch said.

“I was at a meeting in Wokingham and my wife had taken the car to the pub.  She went out for a cigarette and saw the car wasn’t there.

“I was due to meet her there so she thought I was messing around and had moved the car. When she ascertained it wasn’t me, she called the police. She was told mid-call that the car had been found.”

The vehicle had been damaged and the couple will have to pay for repairs while the insurance is sorted out.

“I just wanted to highlight this terrific work,” said Cllr Finch. “The police sometimes get a bit of stick and I wanted to show people they do a fantastic job.”

Brendan John Arthur Newman, 26, of Popeswood Road, Binfield, has been charged with aggravated vehicle taking; vehicle damage under £5,000; driving while disqualified; using a motor vehicle without third party insurance; driving a motor vehicle without due care and attention; failing to stop when required by a police constable; and failing to provide a breath sample for analysis.

He was in Maidenhead Magistrates' Court on Saturday and will appear again at a date to be confirmed.

Site navigation

• Home
• News
• Business
• Sport
• Entertainment
• Lifestyle
• Jobs
• Property
• Motoring
• Classifieds