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Police investigate after Norwich fan finds his car wrecked following match at Birmingham

West Midlands Police investigate after Norwich fan Tim Merchant finds his car wrecked following a match he attended at Birmingham

Tim, who works at the James Paget University Hospital, external in Gorleston, Norfolk, had been in Birmingham for the final Championship game of the season, with the Canaries losing 1-0 on Saturday, but Birmingham were still relegated to League One because of the other relegation battlers winning.

A Toyota Yaris which was parked on a street near St Andrew’s stadium, only for the owner to return and discover a smashed window and missing parts from under the bonnet.

Dr Tim Merchant had done his research when looking for suitable parking places before heading to Birmingham for the game, with his preferred car park no longer in use, so instead he decided to park in nearby Garrison Street with nothing in the vehicle that identified him as a Norwich supporter.

He said there were “a lot of cars which were much nicer than mine – Mercedes, BMWs, Teslas – all parked around the space I’d selected”.

Tim went on to say: “I left at 80 minutes because Norwich were playing so poorly – probably the worst performance I’ve ever seen.”

Upon returning to Garrison Street after the match, he found “the driver’s side window had been smashed and the entire bonnet and bumper removed, and all the electricals and engine parts stripped”.

“You get the initial shock, ‘is it my car?’, panic then sets in, stress [and] fear.”

He said there had been people passing by while he was waiting for his car to be collected saying there had been an increase in this kind of theft from the area in recent weeks.

Tim thanked support he receive “from both Birmingham and Norwich fans… just checking on me, getting me a bottle of water”.

He reckons his car might have been targeted as parts for Japanese cars have been difficult to get hold of.

Industrial and residential street with cars parked on both sides

Tim Merchant with friend smiling in a football stadium

A West Midlands Police spokesperson said: “We are studying CCTV footage and would appeal for anyone with any information to please contact us.

“When [vehicle crime] happens, we will follow lines of inquiry and work to identify and arrest offenders. We’re also committed to arresting those involved in chop shops and others involved in the illegal trade in spare parts.”

Norwich fans wanted to help their fellow fan in some way, so helped contribute to a donation page, with £638 raised before the GoFundMe page organiser disabled new donations for the time being.

It read: “Meet Dr Tim Merchant, an NHS Doctor who spends his life focusing on saving and improving the quality of life of others.

“Even when he is not working crazy hours he spends a good portion of his spare time raising funds for cancer victims .

“His outlet for getting away from the stress of his professional life is to support his beloved Norwich City FC home and away.

“Some friends have got together to raise funds for him to fix his car (which he desperately needs to attend different Urgent Care shifts ) after it was brutally vandalised in Birmingham while he was attending the Birmingham City V Norwich City FC end of season match on Saturday.

“We know the global footballing community will get behind and support Tim and this worthy cause . Thanks, Cillian, Harrison, Sam, Sean, Josh and Sam.”

Tim commented: “Hi all – my friend Cillian has very kindly organised this for me to help me with the costs incurred after the game on Saturday.

“I can’t thank you all enough, we have now reached an unbelievable amount that will cover my excess for this and I do not need anything further.

“I just want to help raise awareness for fans parking near football grounds to be super careful.

“Thank you all so much again for your support, from fans all across the country and my beloved Norwich City.”

Twitter users reacted as police investigate after a Norwich fan finds his car wrecked following the match at Birmingham last weekend…

@Pipkro1: Sadly mate this is a regular thing every match day around St Andrews every match day as the location of the stadium hope you got home OK and everything is sorted 👍

@nickpoyner: For a BCFC fan. Sorry this happened, Tim. The truth is it’s been happening all season and @WMPolice aren’t bothered. There’s so little parking close to the ground there’s not much choice but to park in areas like this. I hope you get the car sorted asap.

@_NotoriousBigC: Unfortunately this is becoming the norm around the areas besides the ground. Couple years ago this never happened but the area is getting worse and it seems @WMPolice couldn’t care less. Maybe @RichParkerLab can make an effort to make a change around the area! #BCFC #KRO

@tigerroarcouk: this is dreadful, they say it’s a regular occurrence for fans going to watch Birmingham City 🙁

@wbahazz: I see this tweet every time birmingham are at home, when are the fixtures police actually going to do something to stop it?

@darrenastley2: Sorry to hear and see this as a bcfc fan we have had the same issue especially midweek games coppers won’t do a thing they could raid all the local chop shops but won’t for fear of being called racist it’s an ongoing problem with no solution especially midweek games

@webbysj5: So sorry to hear about this. Unfortunately there’s some absolute scumbags out there 😡😢. Hope that you manage to get it all sorted with the insurance etc 🤞❤️

@HappySnapp37405: Sorry to see that. The scumbags have targeted Blues fans cars midweek games at night around our own ground all season. WM police have done sod all to address it in my opinion. Its not a great area. Times we live in.

@VillaTilliDye: Unfortunately it’s know in Birmingham, nothing to do with who supports who happens to blues fans. Best thing to do is park in actual car park or a paid one. To save a couple quid it’s not worth risking your car. Sorry this happened to you.

@johnnieK88: Absolutely shocking mate, it happens all the time on matchdays, the council and @WMPolice don’t seem to care about this type of crime, it happens all over the city. Only way they’re going to catch them is to get CCTV installed all over, obviously costs 💰. Good luck in playoffs

@Matt44257351: I’m a blue nose living in Norfolk mate if I’d of known you could of caught a lift with us. Sorry it’s happened to you. It’s happened to so many cars around that area now over the last couple of years. Good luck in the play offs

@23duff: Sorry to hear that fella. Not the best of areas. Not great fans to be honest, especially the w4nkers throwing stuff from the tier above us.

@brookesMark: I had no idea parts stripping was a thing. But now googling things, it can happen sadly. Is nothing safe anymore?

@WrexhamFCFans: Just want to highlight this before we play them next season. Seen this happen A LOT lately, it’s happening virtually every game around the ground. It seems as if it’s local garages that are going out stripping the cars for parts. Be VERY mindful if you choose to drive there!

@danifdl: Not a single time #BCFC played at home a post like this didn’t appear in my timeline

@T_oxland276: It ain’t blues fans. It’s been happening for ages to all fans that travel by car to St Andrews and park outside the ground. I’d never leave my car outside St Andrews anymore unless I used an official match day car park. Its unfortunate but nothing has been done about it sadly.

@lukejoelfish9: Absolutely disgusting, no car should go to a game and not come home🙏

@RussWWFC: Happened loads of times around Birmingham’s ground, right bunch of degenerate thieves operating on a regular basis.

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