Anna Higginbottom and Peter Lesisz are now stranded in Spain
13:31, 12 Jul 2025Updated 13:48, 12 Jul 2025
Anna Higginbottom and Peter Lesisz(Image: Supplied)
A young couple are stranded in Spain, after thieves ransacked their car, making off with tens of thousands of pounds worth of their belongings. Anna Higginbottom, 27, and her partner Peter Lesisz, 26, were set to board a ferry from Bilbao to Portsmouth on Tuesday, making their journey back to Scotland from Denia in Spain, where Anna had been living and working.
Before their planned departure, they checked into a hotel in Bilbao. The “heartbroken” couple says staff assured them the car park was secure and CCTV-monitored, but they woke to find their car had been broken into via the passenger door and had been completely cleaned out.
Anna said: “We’ve been left with only our phones and each other. It’s a disaster. We have nothing left. We’re just completely devastated.”
The couple estimate they’ve lost out on roughly £60,000 worth of belongings, with Peter losing around £55,000 worth of rare, specialist car tuning equipment for his Alpine Performance business. This also included pen drives containing a database of custom engine software files built over eight years, reports the Daily Record.
Some of Peter’s equipment which was stolen(Image: Supplied)
“Peter’s worked years to build this business,” stated Anna, a holistic wellness coach. “That equipment isn’t just expensive – it’s his entire livelihood. He’s one of the best in the UK at what he does. He has not stopped crying. I’ve never seen him like this. It’s heartbreaking.”
On top of this, Anna had personal belongings stolen, estimated at £5,000, including jewellery, clothing, cherished photos and mementos from her late mother. She said: “That’s what hurts most. The sentimental things – they’re just gone. They can’t be replaced.”
To make matters even worse, Peter’s passport was stolen, forcing them to miss their scheduled ferry. Now, he faces a 10-hour return trip to Madrid to obtain a temporary passport, with money borrowed from family.
Anna and Peter have turned to Spanish social services for emergency help with accommodation and food. Describing the lack of support, Anna said: “The police haven’t helped us. There’s such a language barrier.
“We’ve had to do our own investigation. One of my cards was used locally, and we even found the shop. They told us that it was a Moroccan man.”
In desperation, they’ve set up a GoFundMe page, hoping to mitigate some of their losses. Anna shared an online appeal: “We never thought we’d be in this position Even £5 would mean the world.”