Dame Joanna Lumley confronted a group of masked thieves who attempted to steal her car outside her home in Stockwell, south London. The 79-year-old actress, best known for her role in Absolutely Fabulous, emerged from her £2.5 million townhouse to find several men on motorbikes trying to break into her vehicle.
According to reports, one thief was in the driver's seat but could not start the car, while the alarm sounded. Lumley and a neighbour shouted at the gang, who then fled the scene, leaving damage to the boot of the car. The incident was first reported by Times columnist Emma Duncan, who said she came out in the middle of the night after hearing a commotion and yelled at the thieves alongside Lumley.
The attempted theft comes amid a rise in vehicle crime in London. Police confirmed three reports of attempted break-ins in the area between March 26 and March 28. Data from the House of Commons library shows that 88.5 per cent of car thefts reported to the Met Police in London are unsolved, according to Liberal Democrat analysis.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Max Wilkinson called for a specialist crack team based at the National Crime Agency to tackle organised car crime. A Home Office spokesman acknowledged that not enough has been done to prevent such crimes and highlighted new laws to ban electronic devices used to steal vehicles. The Metropolitan Police said vehicle crime has fallen by almost 15 per cent compared with the same period last year.
