Horrified Edinburgh mum wakes to find family car 'cannibalised for spare parts'

Car stripped for parts.
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


An Edinburgh family has been left without a vehicle after their car was 'stripped for parts' outside their home.

Mum Michaelyn Thomas-Coxon and architect partner Norman Paterson have been left taking four-hour round trips to and from work as well as dropping and picking up the kids from nursery and school.

Michaelyn, who works as a production manager for Kestin, said their kids, aged three and five, were shocked something like this could happen next to their family home.

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In an image shared with Edinburgh Live the front bumper of a Renault Kadjar is completely removed. Police believe the vehicle was stripped for parts on Clerwood Park at around 4.30am.

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The family are appealing to the public to contact police if they have any relevant information. They also wanted to raise awareness of the incident so others in the area can be vigilant to car crooks.

“We are pretty stranded now for work and have half term with two kids, it's madness,” Michaelyn said. “We live in Clerwood but both work in Leith so we relied on our car to get to work.

“We also have one kid in Corstorphine primary and one in town at a nursery, so our commute is now two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening on the bus.

“We are waiting for mechanics to inspect the car to find out what was stolen. So far we can only see bits of trim missing. Our two children were shocked this could happen next to our house as it is such a quiet residential area.

“It is just a Renault Kadjar, it is not a fancy car, but these sorts of crimes seem to be on the rise. Thankfully a neighbour alerted the police who attended quickly and potentially stopped the car from being entirely stolen.”

Michaelyn claimed their garage had experienced a number of issues with Renaults being targeted for their parts due to a scarcity on the market.

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Unfortunately they were not given a courtesy car and will now have to wait at least two weeks before their vehicle is fixed.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 4.35am on Wednesday, 9 October, 2024, officers received a report of the attempted theft of parts of a car on Clerwood Park, Edinburgh. Enquiries are ongoing.”