A " Good " Police Story !

Australis got to hear of an unusual crime this week that reads like something from a spy novel.   A truck driver heading south on the Hume highway noticed something strange about the car ahead of him. One of its tail lights was missing and a human hand was poking out the hole this left and waving frantically.

This truck driver probably broke the law by using his mobile phone to call 000 but it was important to give the police vital information while he had the car in plain sight.  They needed to know the make, colour and registration number to plan an intervention that did not result in a high speed pursuit that would pose a danger to other road users.

It took twenty minutes to bring to fruition, but apparently the police introduced two unmarked police cars to the traffic stream and when they were near the suspect car, other police ahead created a temporary traffic jam that stopped the flow.   The suspect car was taken down without incident.

The police found a 24 year old woman captive locked in the boot of the car and she was suffering from multiple stab wounds in the legs and arms.  She was rushed to hospital and the police arrested the driver and her companion, both women aged 18 and 24.

All three women came from western Sydney and this was clearly a kidnapping.  Ominously, the car was heading towards the Belanglo State Forest, made infamous by Ivan Milat as his dumping ground for backpacker bodies.

No doubt we will hear more of the story when the offenders face court but the victim certainly showed ingenuity.   Locked in the darkness of the car boot she managed to free the tail light housing and create a hole which gave her a small view of the road behind the car.

Most importantly, she created an air source.   The boot of the modern car is hermetically sealed to keep out water and dust. Her breathing would quickly use up the oxygen and replace it with carbon dioxide and she would eventually die of aspxia.

The road noise of passing traffic would drown out her cries for help so she cleverly attracted attention by pushing her hand out the hole left by the tail light.    It had the desired effect and the alerted police acted responsibly by ensuring the wanted car was gridlocked in stopped traffic and unable to try a high speed escape that would have added to the danger.

Hopefully, the police will excuse that truck driver for illegally using a mobile phone while driving a vehicle.  There are always exceptions to the law, and clearly - that was one of them !