'That's my car' - shock of Preston grandad who discovered his stolen car was used in kidnapping and robbery 30 years ago
Dennis Higgins spoke after a special report on the 30th anniversary of the infamous robbery, which saw Roger Ball, his wife and daughter held captive and £500,000 stolen.
Dennis, who worked as a marketing manager for BT in the Guild Centre, was horrified when wife Pay contacted him to tell him police had visited her enquiring about his whereabouts.
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Hide AdHe explains: “I had a silver Ford Orion Ghia which was my pride and joy.
“ I used to park it in the Bus Station Car Park daily. On returning to go home one day, my car had gone - stolen.
“Whoever stole my Orion had sold it to the bank manager, who’d bought it for his wife. He’d no idea it was a stolen vehicle.”
“I suppose the worst thing was the thought that I was a possible “suspect” until the police were able to confirm that the car used was stolen from me.”
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Hide AdDennis and Pat are now retired and have two children and three grandchildren.
He adds: “It was strange to see a Crimewatch programme re-enacting the robbery and seeing my car’s “involvement”.
“Of course, my grandchildren love to hear the story of Grandad’s stolen car and how it was used in the bank robbery.”