Woman's car stolen from outside Hawke's Bay Hospital while collecting ill daughter-in-law

Hastings woman Pam Lawrence, 62, returned from a visit at the Hawke's Bay Hospital to find her car stolen on Sunday afternoon. Photo / Duncan Brown.

A Hastings woman is fed up after her car was stolen while she was collecting her daughter-in-law from Hawke's Bay Hospital at the weekend.

Pam Lawrence, 62, couldn't believe her eyes when she returned to her parking spot on Canning Rd on Sunday afternoon to find her car had disappeared.

She was picking up her daughter-in-law, Jayde Pearson, who had just been discharged after an asthma and anxiety attack.

"I sort of walked out and said to Jayde "My car's gone!" Then you sort of doubt yourself and I wondered if I had come out and moved it but I didn't."

Ms Lawrence said she spent a lot of time at the hospital - her granddaughter with a terminal illness and her daughter having an operation yesterday - and was disappointed her car had been taken while visiting family.

"It's just been ongoing for about the last five years and it's not just this drama. It's lots of things. I'm over it."

A police spokesperson said the vehicle - a silver Nissan Pulsar CJ2 with the licence plate EFH569 - was stolen and reported at 8.49pm on Sunday. Police would continue to investigate the theft.

Ms Lawrence said she only had a bicycle and would be using her daughter's vehicle for several weeks while she recovered from an operation at the hospital.

She wasn't hopeful the car would be recovered but had insurance to cover it, although there was a week-long stand-down period, she said.

"It's probably down at the river burnt out. That's what those people do. My son said it was pointless looking for it because it will be parked up in a shed, stripped down and sold as parts for their bloody P habits."

Ms Pearson said she thought her mother-in-law was playing a practical joke when she told her the car was gone.

"We went to walk towards where she led us to go to the car and it wasn't there. I thought she was joking and playing a prank on me but it turns out it wasn't.

"We went back to reception and they took us into security and we actually watched the person break the car window and take off in the car."