Thieves steal three-year-old girl's replica Land Rover

A devastated dad has spoken of his frustration after thieves stole a precious model Land Rover which he lovingly made for his young daughter.
Sarah and daughter Elise in the Land Rover, which has been stolen.Sarah and daughter Elise in the Land Rover, which has been stolen.
Sarah and daughter Elise in the Land Rover, which has been stolen.

Alan Thompson, from Hadston, was ‘close to tears’ after discovering that the replica had been pinched from outside his home, between 1pm and 5.45pm yesterday.

The eye-catching green Land Rover took the devoted father a year to make, costing in the region of £2,000, and he gave it to his daughter Elise for a Christmas present.

Making memories in the Land Rover.Making memories in the Land Rover.
Making memories in the Land Rover.
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The fully-motorised vehicle has a 24-volt system with two car batteries in the front and a motor and chain drive at the rear. It boasts working lights, indicators and a horn.

The theft has left three-year-old Elise upset and the family, including her mum Sarah, are desperate for its return, saying it has helped to make many happy memories.

In a desperate bid to find it, Alan took to Facebook to try to spread the word.

His post attracted hundreds of comments – with people describing the thieves as low-life scum – and it has been shared almost 5,000 times, both locally and further afield, including Cornwall, the Borders, Northern Ireland and even from Malta.

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Alan’s Facebook message states: ‘I can’t believe I’m having to post this but maybe it’s a sign of the state of people we live amongst. I’m close to tears to be honest.

‘Elise’s Land Rover has been stolen from my family home. It took a year of blood, sweat and money and was made for her for Christmas two years ago and it’s brought Elise, me and Sarah so many happy memories.

‘It’s about 200kg and very bulky. It’s also broken from over use on its latest adventure to Thrunton Woods so won’t be out anytime soon.

‘There aren’t many of these in the world and I have a very upset three-year-old who wants it back.

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‘If you stole it and you’re reading this then just put it back and there will be no questions asked.’

Alan said that he had had the idea to build a model Land Rover for years and ‘when I thought my daughter would appreciate one, I started to build it.’

He described it as a one-off and a local celebrity of the car world. The Land Rover has a registration plate of EMT 515 and carries the heartwarming inscription: ‘Made by Alan Thompson for loving daughter Elise, 2016’.