Victoria Police hunt for thief who stole $1m red Ferrari
Detectives have released an image of the Ferrari, which sports a distinctive black and white stripe down the centre of the bonnet, as they call on the public to help them catch the thief.
The man stole four luxury cars from a home in Balwyn North last week.
'It is understood a man gained entry to a property on Greythorn Rd about 1.30am on August 15,' the police said.
'Once inside the property, the man stole four sets of car keys, a wallet and air pods.
'Over the course of three hours the man stole each car from a garage and carport, one by one, while a family were asleep inside the house.'
The stolen cars are a red 2019 Ferrari 488 Pista Coupe with Victorian registration AYN298, valued at about $1m, a green and teal 2024 BMW M3 Wagon with Victorian registration DFR369, a black 2009 Mercedes CLS63 with Victorian registration XLE930 and a black 2011 BMW 135I with Victorian registration XTB851.
Police have also released CCTV image of a man they believe may be able to assist them with their inquiries.
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The employee's email ultimately reached devastated survivors who say they faced coercive practices within religious groups and who have found hope in the inquiry. Ryan Carey, from Geelong Revival Centre Survivors and Stop Religious Coercion Australia, said the committee had shown good faith by focusing on behaviours rather than any beliefs. He wants freedom of belief, association and religion. 'We also want it to be safe and free of abuse, exploitation, and harm,' he said. 'Healthy churches shouldn't require survivor groups upon exit. Ours does. 'Survivors are used to having people in power try to silence them and invalidate their stories. This is spit in the face of survivors, and frankly, I think they deserve an apology.' Renee Spencer, from Survivors of Coercive Cults and High-Control Groups, said she was not surprised by Heath's employee's apparent attempt to indirectly influence the inquiry but it was damaging nonetheless. 'Survivors who took the time to dredge up their deepest pain for this inquiry have already retraumatised themselves in the hope of meaningful change and harm prevention. Thankfully, for the most part, we have found people to be empathetic and measured,' Spencer said. Christian legal think tank Freedom for Faith shared concerns religious freedoms could be infringed, in a submission co-signed by Australian Christian Churches, the Baptist Union of Victoria, the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, the Seventh Day Adventist Church of Australia and the Presbyterian Church of Victoria. They were encouraged by the committee's insistence it was not looking to judge faith, and acknowledged coercive control did exist in some religious contexts. But they worried the definition of cult could be expanded 'under anti-religious pressure … to include faiths that involve whole-of-life commitment, and faiths that teach unpopular beliefs (especially concerning sexuality, gender and marriage)'. The Australian Christian Lobby urged against introducing any new legislation, to avoid inadvertently stepping on the right to freedom of expression, religion and association, and agreed there was a risk of mainstream church practices being misinterpreted as 'cult-like'. Loading The bipartisan committee is chaired by Labor MP Ella George, who said Victorians could practise their faith freely without fear. 'There is no truth to any claim that the committee's inquiry is about sanctioning religious practices. The religious beliefs of Victorians are irrelevant to the inquiry's terms of reference,' George said. 'The emphasis is on how these groups operate, not what they believe.' Patrick McIvor left City Builders in 2016 and was the lead author of a submission to the inquiry called 'Beyond Belief', which was endorsed by Survivors of Coercive Cults and High-Control Groups, Stop Religious Control Australia and Victorian Cult Survivors Network. He said the inquiry appeared to have a genuine interest in getting things right. 'I understand the nerves of some groups, particularly some religious groups. And we agree, it shouldn't be about religious groups. Any solution should absolutely uphold freedom of belief, freedom of association, and that's why we've kept the focus [of our submission] squarely on harmful behaviours and not vilifying people.'
