"Police said burglar left 'no evidence' - but mystery coat was in my car for months," says Sheffield victim

A Sheffield woman was horrified to open a parcel of items recovered from her stolen car - only to find a "stinking" coat and face covering inside.

Sonya Sampson, of Fitzhubert Road, Woodthorpe, had her car stolen overnight on October 2023 after offenders broke into her home while she slept.

Sign up for newsletters from The Star

Cops recovered the car a month later, but reportedly told the Sheffield mum there was "no evidence" and "nothing recovered" from inside.

She was shocked and baffled, then, when her insurers later said they had recovered belongings from the car - and she was confronted with a "stinking" set of clothes she believes probably belonged to the man who broke into her home.

But now, Sonya is questioning why SYP told her they had "no evidence" to help catch the thief - despite having what could be his coat, in her car, in their custody, for at least two months.

Sonya said: "If they had looked even once in the car they would have found it.

"The horror I felt when I took that coat out... They lied to me there was no evidence or DNA in the car, because I think they didn't even look.

"They did no investigation when all the evidence was there all along."

Sonya's brand new Peugeot 2008 Allure was stolen on October 19, 2023, without her even knowing. She woke up to find her keys gone, her drive empty, and even a jar of cash she kept hidden missing too.

Sonya said: "It's so violating to know they've been in your house while you're asleep. My keys were in a room upstairs - they would have had to go past my bedroom door while I was sleeping to get them I keep thinking if I had woken up I would have been a dead woman.

"They took my handbag with pictures of my children I won't get back."

She rang the police straight away, but Sonya claims they were "not interested" in taking her car's registration plate over the phone. They arrived two hours later.

Sonya said: "I had no updates for three weeks, then an officer called to say they had found the car.

"They said there was nothing inside - none of my possessions and no evidence."

The car was kept by police until early March when Sonya chose to have it auctioned off by her insurers and be done with it.

It was puzzling to her, then, when the auctioneers called to say they had recovered some personal items from inside the Peugeot and would be sending them to her by post.

On March 12, Sonya open the package to find her gym bag, her trainers - and a coat she had never seen before.

Sonya said: "It was the burglar's coat. It must be.

"It stunk of fumes like when you've been riding motorbikes, and there was a face covering in the box too.

"I was horrified but also angry. That coat has been in my car for months. They could have done DNA work. All the evidence was there all along but they didn't even look.

"I had a big box of stuff returned to me, so why did police tell me there was nothing inside my car?"

Sonya is now considering taking her complaints to the IOPC, the police watchdog.

South Yorkshire Police has been contacted for a comment.