If only he'd asked... 
2003 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance
This article appears in the APJ Vol. 53, No. 2 June 1999 - I can send you a copy if you like.
What is it about men and trucks? On the night of September 7th, 1990, an enterprising 34 year old thief decided he had to have the engine of an old Bedford tip-truck, parked outside a glass recycling company in Alexandria, Sydney. It appears that he decided that the best way to get the motor out would be from below, rather than the more conventional from -the-top-with-a-crane approach. He crawled under the truck and started to remove some of the bolts, when suddenly the engine block broke loose and landed on his face, killing him instantly. The police ascertained that he had to have had an accomplice, judging by the pool of vomit under a nearby bush.
An employee discovered his body at about 6.30am the next day, and called the police. The manager later said that the truck was about to be scrapped, and that "If he had come and asked me for it, I would have given it to him."
It generally takes three men to lift an engine block of this size, and the battered old Volvo he drove to the scene in was too small to take the spoils away.
As this is in an industry police journal, and not for public reading, it includes very clear photos of the victim and crime scene!
Submitted on 03/13/2003
Submitted by:
Rebecca Lupton
Reference:
Australian Police Journal, '99
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