Horrendous New Scam...

T

trottingon

Well-Known Member
Joined
18 December 2009
Messages
1,072
Visit site
My friend told me a horrendous story experienced by her ex-husband a few days ago around Cardiff...
He is a lorry driver, was driving along a quiet country road in his HGV when a coloured gypsy cob type horse came hurtling out of the bushes at the side of the road and ran straight into his lorry. He braked hard but couldn't avoid hitting the horse, he stopped obviously, and the horse was writhing in pain on the road. He reckons he was travelling just under 30mph at the point of impact. A car on the road also stopped and the driver immediately called the police. While this was happening 3 rough looking men came out of the bushes to "help". The other driver came over and said he'd already called the police, and as soon as sirens were heard the 3 men scarpered across the fields.
When the police arrived it was a policewoman with dogs who asked my friends ex to hang around with her until her backup arrived.
The policewoman said it is a scam that this particular community of people are doing. They are using a cattle prod to scare a horse onto the road, then when the driver stops and gets out of their vehicle and is distracted by the injured (or dead!) horse, they are stealing the drivers car or breaking into the back of the drivers lorry or van. The times the police have caught up with them running away they've just denied everything including ownership of the poor horse, and so can seldom be arrested!
My friends ex (non horsey) assumes that the horse was put to sleep, it was in a lot of pain and there was blood everywhere, the vet had arrived just as he was allowed to drive off.
Apparently a woman was killed in the area recently when this happened and the horse went through her windscreen.
I know this all sounds a bit far fetched but it is a true story, my friends ex was really shaken by it all.
So watch out on quiet country roads...I suspect animal lovers will be more susceptible to this as we will be trying to help calm the animal with little thought to our vehicles (assuming there are no casualties or deaths involved!!!)
Poor poor horses being treated like this, and suffering or paying with their lives!
 
Maybe I'm misunderstanding this as it's early but if a gang are trying to scam by forcing a scared horse into the path of an unsuspecting motorist, the motorist then hits the horse with their car.......how does that leave the vehicle in a condition to be driven let alone be worth stealing? Something is a bit fishy....
 
OP mentions also cars, I wouldn't think a HGV would be that driveable after such an impact without drawing a lot of interest either, just sounds all a bit too odd. Googled accidents in Cardiff after the OP states a female car driver was killed and I can't find anything. Also no RTCs showing in Cardiff involving horses as described. Hmmmm
 
Pick holes in my story if you like, all I know Is the policewoman told him about the woman's accident so I can't comment on that. But I can assure you this incident with the lorry happened just a few days ago. Just wanted to raise awareness of how these poor horses are being "used" in this way. Lorries carry valuable goods in the back don't forget.
This particular HGV was perfectly drive able after the incident, just some minor damage luckily.
This didn't happen to me did it so I don't have every detail. If you choose not to believe this happened that's up to you.
Come on guys it's not as if I joined this forum yesterday!!!!
 
Sounds like rubbish to me. How would they possibly know an Hgv would be travelling along at that time, whilst conveniently waiting in bushes with a horse, and be sure the horse would get hit in the end? Seems like an awful lot of hard work and there are much easier ways for them to nick a lorry if they want
 
Oh I wish I hadn't bothered posting this now!

I'm not a troll, I didn't post this to be controversial, or have holes picked. I'm typing on my phone so I've only given you the main details. I just wanted to tell you about these poor horses.

Think what you like, if you choose not to believe this happened that's up to you. I hope you'll be as quick with your apologies when one of these incidents gets reported in the papers as you have been with your criticisms to my post.
 
trottingon said:
Oh I wish I hadn't bothered posting this now!

I'm not a troll, I didn't post this to be controversial, or have holes picked. I'm typing on my phone so I've only given you the main details. I just wanted to tell you about these poor horses.

Think what you like, if you choose not to believe this happened that's up to you. I hope you'll be as quick with your apologies when one of these incidents gets reported in the papers as you have been with your criticisms to my post.
Click to expand...

Why so defensive?! Nobody is saying you are a troll or making it up, just that the theory sounds flawed. I didn't realise we had to believe every scamming story told..
 
No one is saying anything against you hon, the story is a very odd one and it is clear that you have been told this and in good faith have wanted to pass on the info to all.

I wonder whether your friends ex husband simply was in the wrong place at the wrong time, he could have just been driving past when a horse was scared by rough handling and it has escaped onto the road? There's loads of possibilities and we can't speculate what has happened as non of us were there. I think we can perhaps all take from it a reminder that unexpected things can occur when we are driving and how many times have we all come across someone not really paying attention so I think if we can take from this tale a reminder to always keep alert when driving as the lorry driver found, unusual things can occur when least expected. x
 
I am not saying you are not telling the story in complete good faith.
But the odds of using a cattle prod on a horse and it going in the direction you wanted and hitting a vehicle and stopping it the vehicle being in a state worth stealing with the driver not being able to recognise you when you went in to steal the vehicle of other drivers not arriving to aid the first and then risking having to leg it carrying a cattle prod for the chance of stealing a damaged vehicle covered in evidence that would be very difficult to shift.
Makes no sense .
 
Why on earth would people of a "particular community" seek to cause potentially fatal road accidents for the sake of maybe getting to nick something? Sounds like a story that's been massively embellished along the way. Surely if this sort of thing was happening the police would issue a warning to the public? It's right up there with "****** are going to steal your dog" because the council have been round and marked the pavement for repair!
 
It would make more sense for the people to demand money for the injuries caused to the horse, I could see that happening - lots of worthless colts out there that the average motorist wouldn't know from a 'cherished' pet

Perhaps this was a one off. It wouldn't be the first time a police officer passed on scaremongering rumours as what they believe the truth to be - look at the amount of police that believe the 'plait in the mane' rumour
 
Just because the police told someone this, doesn't make it the gospel truth. There are police officers who tell people that the mane plait is fact and horses thus marked have been stolen. But a little digging reveals no such cases. I grew up being told that a lady in the 1900s who made a bit of a name for herself was a relative. She had the same surname as my great grandmother. I am interested in my family tree and went researching. Turns out she was not a relative at all. It just happens that she was famous and had the same name and "perhaps she is a relative" became "she is a relative" and went into family lore.
 
I don't post on here very often these days, but actually if you think about it, this could well be a scam.

What if the people of a "particular community" were to deliberately force a horse out on to the road, not necessarily to be hit by a vehicle but to stop the traffic, wait for people to get out of their cars to herd the horse off the road or whatever, they would more than likely leave their phones, purses in the car or even keys in the ignition (I know I probably would!).

I think you are all being a little harsh on OP.
 
oofadoofa said:
I don't post on here very often these days, but actually if you think about it, this could well be a scam.

What if the people of a "particular community" were to deliberately force a horse out on to the road, not necessarily to be hit by a vehicle but to stop the traffic, wait for people to get out of their cars to herd the horse off the road or whatever, they would more than likely leave their phones, purses in the car or even keys in the ignition (I know I probably would!).

I think you are all being a little harsh on OP.
Click to expand...

How on earth is it being harsh on the OP? I am genuinely confused. Simply saying that a story does not appear to add up or be a strong one, does not mean the OP is being attacked or criticised, given that the OP is merely passing on third party information.
 
I cannot confirm, or deny the OP's story and whether it is a widespread problem in that particular part of the world, but I know for a fact of one incident where a horse cart was blocking a part of a road and a farmer in a tractor was flagged down. As he stopped, a bloke came running out of the bushes, jumped onto the stairs of the tractor and tried to open the door. The farmer then drove off as quickly as he could and luckily the man could not hold on and fell off. This happened quite recently.
 
Moomin1 said:
How on earth is it being harsh on the OP? I am genuinely confused. Simply saying that a story does not appear to add up or be a strong one, does not mean the OP is being attacked or criticised, given that the OP is merely passing on third party information.
Click to expand...

That's the problem with today's PC world where if you disagree with someone, or question what they have to say, then you're a harsh and insensitive bully.
 
Moomin1 said:
How on earth is it being harsh on the OP? I am genuinely confused. Simply saying that a story does not appear to add up or be a strong one, does not mean the OP is being attacked or criticised, given that the OP is merely passing on third party information.
Click to expand...

Maybe it's the way in which things are written then. And the reason I don't post on here any more.
 
oofadoofa said:
Maybe it's the way in which things are written then. And the reason I don't post on here any more.
Click to expand...

How odd. Nobody on here has said/implied/insinuated that OP is remotely a liar or troll etc. They have simply made comment on their opinion of the information which OP was given by a third party.

Had people here have said directly to OP 'You are making that story up and are clearly a troll', then that would have been personal and harsh. Nobody did. They said the didn't believe the information OP was given.
 
id say the horse was lucky to be alive the thought of an HGV doing thirty on a country lane leaves nasty images... ahwell I guess with the animal laying "writhering" about infront of it stopped them stealing said HGV
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top