A British couple’s dream outback road trip has turned into a nightmare after a gang of eight bat-wielding aboriginals stole their 4WD containing $40,000 worth of belongings.
Angus McCool Duncan and Karyna Shuliko were on their way to the Kimberleys when they stopped off at the remote Adelaide River Inn on the Sturt Highway in the Northern Territory on October 7.
But in the morning they were woken up by a staff member, who told them their white 2010 Nissan Patrol, which they had just spent $12,000 on after it broke down in Alice Springs, was gone, NT News reported.
CCTV showed eight thugs armed with bats smashing the back window and throwing part of Karyna’s suitcase out of the window before driving off. The rest of the suitcase was found under a nearby bridge covered in shards of broken glass, alcohol and cigarette butts.
“I was just picking up all my belongings off the floor. It was devastating stress. I was just hysterically crying,” Karyna said.
The couple were then shocked to discover the thieves were posting social media videos of themselves joyriding in the trashed 4WD while blasting music, calling it their “new rig”, and tagging one post “all turbo” – a reference to the car’s recent $3,000 turbo replacement.
NT Police said they believed the car had been driven to the notorious remote aboriginal community of Wadeye, and officers found Angus’s passport and other items that had been thrown out of the window on the road to the violence-plagued township.
Karyna, who works as a consultant in London, said the couple did not expect the Northern Territory to be so dangerous, and were leaving the country as soon as possible as they felt unsafe and could no longer afford to stay until December as planned.
“We chose Australia because it’s safe, we could have gone somewhere else, but everywhere on the UK Government website it says it’s safe,” she said.
“It doesn’t say anything about this particular region. It feels like a bad dream. It’s gut-wrenching.
“We’re flying to Perth tomorrow and getting the hell out of here.”
She also revealed that as their insurance did not cover theft, the couple would have been forced to travel to Wadeye if the car was found, and pay to have it towed and prepared.
Angus said the car, which had a brand new fridge, rooftop tent and solar panels, contained $30,000 to $40,000 worth of possessions, along with priceless souvenirs from their 40,000km trip around Australia.
NT Police believe the same gang was behind the alleged theft of four Bushfire NT grass fire vehicles on the same day, but have made no arrests over either incident.
Header image: Left, the couple with their 4WD. Right, the vehicle after being trashed by the gang.
