A CAR mechanic felt "sick to his stomach" after finding his van ditched in a field with £40k of tools stolen.
Luke Deacon, a self-employed car mechanic for Bell Automotive, lost around £40,000 of tools following the theft in Upton as well as his £10,000 van being left for scrap.
The van was stolen at around 11pm on Friday, September 30, the day of Luke's 34th birthday.
Mr Deacon was at home on the night of the incident but did not hear any commotion.
On Saturday, October 1, Luke discovered that his van had been stolen from outside of his home on Sea View Road.
CCTV outside Luke's house saw two males in "dark clothing and balaclavas" take the van away.
He made the decision to search the neighbourhood for his van, and after finding it dumped at Randalls Hill in Lytchett Minster, he "broke down in the field and started crying."
The raided van had a sizable hole cut out the back doors and a heart had been spray painted on the side.
Luke said: "I woke up Saturday morning, went outside and saw my van was no longer parked outside.
"I went out for a drive to see if I could find it and I found it in a field less than a mile from my house in a field.
"A square had been cut out the back and they had taken every tool I own.
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"I’ve been collecting tools since I was 15 and I'm 34 now.
"They had taken all of them totalling around £40k worth of tools as well as trashing my van that is going to have to be scrapped.
"I broke down in the field and started crying, I felt completely sick to my stomach."
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A spokesperson from Dorset Police said: "Dorset Police received a report on Saturday 1 October 2022 of the theft of a vehicle from Sea View Road in Poole.
"It is reported that the incident occurred at around 11pm on Friday 30 September 2022 and a number of tools, which were in the van, were stolen.
"A 31-year-old man from Poole has been arrested on suspicion of theft from a motor vehicle and released under investigation while enquiries continue.
"Officers are carrying out an investigation into the report and will be carrying out further enquiries, including checking available CCTV."
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