‘I don’t want people thinking I’m a robber’ says Derbyshire businessman

On Friday June, 21 the Derbyshire Times published a story about how a man had been arrested after he tried to tow away a Mercedes.

The picture and details issued by Hope Valley Police Safer Neighbourhood Team, and published in good faith by the Derbyshire Times, shows the recovery truck used by police, not the tow truck which was involved in the offence.

Kevin West from D.S. West Motors, on Bryon Street Buxton, said: “I have the police contract for recovering vehicles so when something like this happens they call me and I go and pick up the vehicle.

“I’ve had 14 phone calls over the weekend from people asking me if I’m ok and what is going on.

“I don’t want people thinking I’m a robber - I was just at work and doing my job but the police have taken the picture of my truck at work not the truck which did the stealing so I want to put the record straight and say that wasn’t me.”

Mr West was called to assist the police after the force received a report of men removing a silver Mercedes from the Old Mam Tor Road, Castleton on the rear of a tow truck.

Officers stopped the tow truck and a 32-year-old male from the South Yorkshire area was arrested for taking without the owner’s consent.

It was then that Mr West was called to help recover the Mercedes.

A statement from Hope Valley Police said: “Just to reassure everyone the two other trucks that were seen on Millbridge and Winnats were the police’s recovery firm to recover the Mercedes as it had been stolen and the offenders vehicles which we also seized.”