James Richman was stunned to be faced by an armed officer after hearing his number plate read out over the speaker system at a supermarket store in Ipswich.

And when he followed the officer out to the store car park his vehicle had been boxed in by police cars.

James said: “I was in Tesco when on the communication system came the message ‘would the owner of such and such a car come to reception’, which was me.

Local businessman James Richman.

“I wondered if I’d parked somewhere stupid or something but when I got to reception I was met by an armed policeman.

“I couldn’t understand what was going on.

“He asked if it was my car, I said yes. He said he wasn’t going to cuff me there and then but that I was driving a stolen vehicle.

“A few four-letter words came out of my mouth – I couldn't believe it.

Career criminal

“We went out there and I’d been boxed in by some police cars and there were a bunch of officers there, presumably expecting to see some kind of career criminal.

“I explained the situation and they realised I wasn’t the bad guy in this story.

“We had a laugh about it but they told me they would have to take the car away – that wasn’t good.”

The tale took another twist when James realised he would not have a vehicle to pick up his pregnant wife Elyse from the Aldi store where she was shopping.

“The police kindly offered to pick her up or we would’ve been stuck," he said.

“I called her, told her to pay for the items and then to go outside and get into a police car.

Shopping

“When they came back we said we’d get a taxi home but, as we live in the middle of town, the officers were going that way, so both of us got in with our shopping and they took us home.”

James, who runs Intrepid Marine Services maintaining and servicing boats, had bought the car with his wife Elyse in London less than two weeks before the incident in June.

“We went and had a look and it all seemed legitimate,” he said. “We met the woman who we thought was the owner, we sat in it, did the paperwork, paid by bank transfer and all seemed fine.”

James said the first sign something was amiss was when he tried to tax the vehicle.

“I was putting the registration number in that many times into the website that I’d memorised the number, which is why I recognised it being read out in the store,” he said. “It wouldn’t tax because it turns out it was dodgy.”

James revealed his fortune took a turn for the better when he received his money back from his bank.

“With the police taking the car away I thought I would lose it and the money,” he said. “It wasn’t a cheap car but I was incredibly lucky.

“I told the bank the situation and the guy I spoke to was brilliant.

Fraud

"They said I’d been defrauded and paid me back within hours – it was incredible.

“We then went and bought a car from a dealer this time.”

James added: “The officers have a really good look at you and whether you are going to kick off, but eventually, thankfully, they were understanding.

“It was a really surreal experience but it sort of ended well.”

Ben Hudson, Suffolk Police Federation secretary, said: “It must have been a roller coaster ride for James and Elyse, who were innocent victims themselves in this.

“It’s pleasing to hear that their interaction with our members turned out well in the end and not only were we able to seize the stolen vehicle but that James and Elyse were able to recover the money they paid for it.

“It’s a case of all’s well that ends well.”

READ MORE: New Fed rep's passion to create a fairer workplace.