Star Weekly is looking back at some of the stories that made headlines in 2023.
January 18
It was a phone call that shattered Point Cook Oz Ten Pin Bowling owner Lorraine Sampson.
A culmination of 10 years of hard work, growing and maintaining her business, destroyed in one day by “selfish” thieves who broke into the arcade on Saturday, December 31.
Ms Sampson said the first sign something was amiss came the day before, when an employee noticed the garage door had been broken.
“We locked it up and put chains on and thought ‘there’s no way they can get in there now’,” she said.
Police said two people broke into the business about 6.30am on New Year’s Eve.
“When the [store] manager called me, and said ‘I’ve got bad news for you … they were back and they’ve done a lot of damage,” Ms Sampson said. “And my heart just sank … I couldn’t believe it.
“They cut everything off and got in there and ripped all the other things off, they went back about four times.”
Ms Sampson said the thieves took off with two bumper cars, a compressor, a virtual reality system and other electronic items.
“We [also] have to get the roller doors fixed, and [repair] all the damage they’ve done, [repurchase] the parts that I’m missing, it’s probably going to cost about $80,000 by the time we’re all through,” she said.
“People work to try and run a business try to get somewhere, and this happens, it’s just selfish.“
OZ Tenpin general manager Graeme Cox said the stolen dodgem cars are battery operated, and can be used in a garage or on a road.
“When people hear dodgem cars these days, you would think it needs the sparks above your heads like you’d see at the circus or something like that, these aren’t like that, they can be used on surface really,“ he said.
“We purchased eight of them, they stole two of them, but the batteries for all eight happened to be in a box in one of the ones they stole, so we have six now that are a bit useless at the moment … they’re worth about $3000.“
Police said an investigation into the incident is ongoing and any information should be referred to CrimeStoppers.
“We’ve put a $1000 reward, I’m sure [the items] will never [be returned], but we’re trying to do everything we can to get them back,“ Ms Sampson said.
Details: www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
