A South Australian sheep farmer has recounted a dramatic early-morning confrontation with car thieves, which ended with his utility vehicle being set alight in a paddock.
Underwear chase through rural roads
Tony Gurney, a farmer from Langhorne Creek, was awakened at 4am not by his cats but by two hooded intruders on his property. 'I saw two young fellas with hoodies and they bolted,' he told 7NEWS. The suspects fled in his ute, prompting Gurney to jump into a second vehicle while still in his underwear and give chase.
'Jumped in the ute and tried to follow them and spent nearly an hour, passed them head-to-head twice. Really fast, they were doing about 130km/h through Wellington,' he said. 'I just backed off.' Throughout the pursuit, he remained on the phone with police.
Vehicle found torched
By the time officers arrived, the stolen ute had been doused with petrol from a jerry can and set ablaze, destroying the vehicle and a fire extinguisher inside. His Kessler trailer was also stolen. 'She's had a good run — went out in style,' Gurney remarked.
Despite the adrenaline of the chase, he expressed relief that he never confronted the thieves directly, fearing they might have been armed. The offenders also smashed through the gates of a nearby salt mine, and it is understood 1,500 litres of diesel was stolen from the site on Monday in a similar overnight raid.
Clue left behind
A receipt left behind after Thursday morning's theft — for milk, cat food, and a Snickers bar — may now serve as a clue for investigators. The incident is the latest in a crime wave that has rattled the rural community.
