This Is Guernsey

By Nigel Baudains

The car stolen and used in Saturday’s ram-raid on Venture Garage was found burned out nearby. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 0631958)

AS POLICE inquiries continued into Saturday’s ram-raid at the Venture Garage, condemnation rained down on the heartless burglar.

Charity boxes containing money for the GSPCA that had been donated in memory of Venture Garage employee Ben Davies, who died in a motorcycle crash, were stolen in the raid.

A car taken from the garage and used to break down the shop door was later found alight in a nearby lane. ‘We are looking to develop leads to the identity of the person,’ said detective constable Phil Sage.

‘The public have been very helpful so far.’

A friend of Mr Davies, Alisha Blondel, told yesterday how she had approached his mother, Carol Healy, with the idea of organising charity donations in her son’s memory.

‘Ben loved his animals so much that we thought the GSPCA was the best idea,’ said Miss Blondel.

‘I wanted to do it to help Ben’s mum so she could see that something positive could come from something so bad.

‘A customer at the garage donated £100 to the fund before we had even put the boxes out and now that’ll probably be with the idiot who was sick enough to do this.’

Miss Blondel said she had intended handing over the money to the GSPCA at a later date and making the sum public.

‘The customers at the garage have been so generous and I wanted to thank them,’ she said.

Mrs Healy was outraged and very upset at the theft.

‘You expect that sort of thing in the UK but not here, particularly when it’s been so well publicised.

‘Someone has tried to do something good and the fact that the boxes have been pinched just beggars belief.’

GSPCA operations director Jayne Le Cras said the theft was despicable. ‘I think it’s absolutely shameful and I’m just stunned,’ she said.

‘It’s such a shame that someone out there should try and capitalise on such a tragic incident.

‘The young girl [Miss Blondel] who phoned me up sounded so happy to be doing something in Ben’s memory and it gave people something to do. I don’t think any punishment would be enough for whoever did it.’

* Anyone with information should contact either CID on 725111 or the confidential Crimestoppers line, 0800 555 111.

Article posted on 2nd September, 2008 - 2.29pm