Alfie Watts, the recent winner of the BBC's Race Across the World, has expressed significant frustration after his car was targeted in Cardiff, resulting in a smashed window and the theft of his laptop. The incident occurred on Tuesday night at Howard Place, just hours before Watts was due to deliver a series of talks to young people as part of a UK-wide school tour.
The stolen laptop contained crucial presentations that Watts uses in his discussions with students, focusing on themes of positivity, resilience, and mental health. Watts, 22, recounted parking his vehicle for approximately 20 minutes when an opportunist broke a window and took the laptop bag from under his seat. He described the crime as "a low point" and the third unrelated theft he has experienced within the last two months.
Fortunately, the material on the stolen device was backed up online, meaning the planned talks, including one at Mount Stuart Primary School in Cardiff Bay, were able to proceed as scheduled on Wednesday. Watts, originally from Hatfield, Hertfordshire, has been sharing his experiences with young people across 35 schools, aiming to inspire messages of perseverance, kindness, and self-belief. This tour follows his successful journey of over 9,300 miles across eastern Asia for the TV series, where he encountered no theft issues.
This latest incident follows two other thefts Watts has recently faced. Last week, his mobile phone was stolen by a thief on an electric bike in London while he was navigating the city. Prior to that, his original laptop was taken during a bag theft in Santiago, Chile, two months ago. Watts, who previously spent 192 days travelling globally and recently raised £50,000 for mental health charity Young Minds by driving a tuk-tuk from London to Norway, shared news of the Cardiff theft with his 320,000 Instagram followers.
A spokesperson for South Wales Police confirmed receipt of Watts' report, acknowledging that being a victim of car crime is "upsetting, costly and inconvenient." They issued a warning about "opportunistic thieves who act very quickly to smash and grab any belongings left in vehicles," though no suspects have been identified in this particular case. Police have indicated they will check CCTV footage from the site.