Above: In happier times: Tammy with her newly purchased Ford Fairmont EB two months ago.By Lia Bichel
A SINGLE mother of two has been left without wheels after the car she bought two months ago was trashed by vandals near Healesville-Kooweerup Road.
After attending her pop’s 80th birthday in Drouin on Saturday night, Tammy Gerlach, 24, headed home to Melbourne when her Ford Fairmont EB began to overheat in Pakenham.
She parked on Ballarto Road and phoned her sister’s boyfriend Dorian to pick her up.
He returned Monday afternoon to replace the fanbelt but found the car a shattered mess.
“I had never seen anything like it – it was the worst case of vandalism I have ever seen,” the Kooweerup resident said.
“Every window and all the lights were smashed, the rims were stolen, and the steering wheel and radio were damaged. There were axe marks on the boot and the bonnet.”
Ms Gerlach and her two sons Lee, 5, and Marcus, 4, are staying in Kooweerup until she can sort out transportation, but that could be a long wait.
“I just cried when I saw the car,” she said. “I had to use a government grant in July to buy this car and I only have third party insurance on the car. I can’t afford to buy another one.”
Kooweerup Sergeant Kevin Iles said the severity of this incident was uncommon.
“People’s cars break down all the time, but it’s not very often they get trashed the way this one did,” he said.
“The person who stole the wheels may not necessarily have damaged the car. I think this was an opportunist crime.”
Sgt Iles urged owners to recover their broken down cars as soon as possible. If the car is left in the same spot for consecutive days, the council could ask the owner to remove it.
Sgt Iles said anyone who has to park their car on the side of the road should do so in a well-lit area.
“If they park their car in a prominent place or in a well-lit area it is less likely to get damaged,” he said.
Anyone with information regarding the vandalised car is asked to contact Leading Senior Constable Michael Jackson or Sergeant Kevin Iles on 5997 1404.
