THE daughter of a man who had his car stolen said she took matters into her own hands, and tracked down the car herself.

Seventy-two-year-old Harry Harrington had his Jaguar XF estate stolen from his driveway in Doveshill Crescent between 11pm on Saturday, July 23 and 6am the following day. 

Losing his “pride and joy” meant Harry was left in a “difficult” position as he struggled to get to work and complete chores. 

Read more: Appeal to find stolen Jaguar XF at a property in Bournemouth

But his 'detective' daughter Becky Harrington led a social media campaign to locate the missing Jag. 

She said: “There’s so much crime happening at the moment that I thought I may as well go out there and look for the car myself. 

“I was going round all the petrol stations asking to look at CCTV and leaving my number. 

Bournemouth Echo: Harry with his granddaughterHarry with his granddaughter

“It was all thanks to social media that the car was found as it was shared across Facebook.” 

Becky said her dad’s car was found after he was chatting to a taxi driver.  

“My dad was in a taxi and he was talking to the driver when the taxi driver said he saw the Jaguar after seeing a post shared online,” Becky added. 

“My dad eventually convinced the driver the car was his after reading out the registration plate and he was driven to his car. 

Bournemouth Echo: Harry's Jaguar was left a "mess" with torn carpets after it had been stolenHarry's Jaguar was left a "mess" with torn carpets after it had been stolen

"It was just left there, abandoned near some CCTV cameras. The floormats were ripped up and the car was a mess. 

“The community helped more than the police. I didn’t want to give up.  

“How many people are in this situation where a crime happens, but nothing is being done about it? First it was my dad's car stolen, tomorrow it could be little Barbara down the road. It can happen to anyone.  

Becky said her dad is “over the moon” to have his XF back, saying “The smile on his face is amazing, worth its weight in gold.”