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| Facebook car theft detective Kirsty King gets £150 police bill | Facebook car theft detective Kirsty King gets £150 police bill |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| A woman who turned amateur detective and found her stolen car through Facebook was handed a £150 bill by police. | A woman who turned amateur detective and found her stolen car through Facebook was handed a £150 bill by police. |
| Kirsty King's Audi turned up in Nottinghamshire less than 24 hours after it was taken when her online plea for help was shared hundreds of times. | Kirsty King's Audi turned up in Nottinghamshire less than 24 hours after it was taken when her online plea for help was shared hundreds of times. |
| When she went to collect it she found police had already recovered the car and demanded £150 for its return. | When she went to collect it she found police had already recovered the car and demanded £150 for its return. |
| Police said the fee was mandatory under the law, but it would review the case. | Police said the fee was mandatory under the law, but it would review the case. |
| Ms King, who is five months pregnant, posted her Facebook plea for help after her house in Leicestershire was broken into and her car was stolen. | |
| Within a few hours a woman called to tell her the Audi was parked on a street in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire. | Within a few hours a woman called to tell her the Audi was parked on a street in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire. |
| The hairdresser went to collect the vehicle, taking the spare key and documents to prove it was hers, only to find it had been removed by police. | The hairdresser went to collect the vehicle, taking the spare key and documents to prove it was hers, only to find it had been removed by police. |
| She said an officer was waiting for her at the scene to hand her paperwork, but later discovered the £150 charge to have it released. | She said an officer was waiting for her at the scene to hand her paperwork, but later discovered the £150 charge to have it released. |
| "I didn't understand what I was paying for. I didn't organise the pickup. I was already in Stapleford with my spare key, I could have just taken it," she said. | "I didn't understand what I was paying for. I didn't organise the pickup. I was already in Stapleford with my spare key, I could have just taken it," she said. |
| "It was disgusting, I was really shocked. Especially when I did the majority of the work myself. | "It was disgusting, I was really shocked. Especially when I did the majority of the work myself. |
| "I was the one that shared it on Facebook and found my car, so to get a bill of £150 is terrible." | "I was the one that shared it on Facebook and found my car, so to get a bill of £150 is terrible." |
| But the force said it first heard about the Audi after a report of an abandoned vehicle. | But the force said it first heard about the Audi after a report of an abandoned vehicle. |
| Checks confirmed it was stolen and when an officer visited the scene a forensic examination was ordered. | Checks confirmed it was stolen and when an officer visited the scene a forensic examination was ordered. |
| "At this point, neither the officer nor the force control room had received any indication that the owner of the vehicle had intended to collect it herself," a spokesman said. | "At this point, neither the officer nor the force control room had received any indication that the owner of the vehicle had intended to collect it herself," a spokesman said. |
| He added that vehicle recovery fees are set out by law but that in this case officers will review what happened and speak to Ms King. | He added that vehicle recovery fees are set out by law but that in this case officers will review what happened and speak to Ms King. |