Little hero finds stolen bag and returns it to its grateful owner
By
CGOSLING | Posted: May 23, 2017
A woman has spoken of her utter relief after a little boy found her bag in a bush after her car had been broken into.
Four-year-old William Whiting, from Plympton, came across the bag when playing in Victoria Park in Stoke during a family outing.
The family called the police who reunited the bag with owner Samantha Townshend - much to the delight of William, who says he wants to be a policeman when he grows up.
Mum Victoria Whiting, a part time dance teacher at Italia Conti in Plymouth, said: "William was just running around the park and suddenly said 'mummy I've found a bag'.
"I immediately rang my brother who is a policeman in Newton Abbott and he sent someone out to us so we could verify whose bag it was.
"It looked as if it had sentimental things in there and she looked to be a uni student so I thought even if it doesn't help find who did this, it would be helpful to her to have it back."
The mum-of-two, aged 31, stayed with the bag until police arrived.
"I thought if I left and nobody came and someone else saw the make up in there and thought I like that - it might be taken again," she said.
"But William was chuffed - I just keep telling him 'you've really helped today.'"
Owner of the bag Samantha, who is currently on a nursing placement for university in Exeter and uses her car to commute, told The Herald she is very grateful to William.
"He is an absolute star. The little boy deserves some recognition, as does his mum," she said.
"They have relieved a lot of stress and anxiety for me knowing I haven't got my personal ID and belongings dotted all over Plymouth."
She added: "He will make a very good policeman when he is older."
The 25-year-old's car was broken into on Wake Street in Pennycomequick between Sunday evening and the early hours of Monday morning.
Samantha, who is training to become a nurse specialising in children's health, said she was "mortified" after her boyfriend discovered her window smashed.
"My boyfriend left for work and went to drop his son to school when he noticed my car had been broken into," she said.
"I then remembered my uni bag was in there with my purse inside - but I have tinted windows and had tucked the bag in behind the passenger seat so they must have really been looking to see it.
"Thanks to the bag being found, hopefully now they will be able to find some fingerprints. There's also a cafe nearby to where the bag was found which has CCTV so hopefully they'll find who did this.
"My uni card was in there which I need to hand in my work and I only have ten weeks left. It has really saved me the extra hassle."
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http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/lit...rns-to-owner/story-30349440-detail/story.html