Race Across the World winner's car smashed into and laptop stolen before kids' mental health talk

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Race Across the World winner's car smashed into and laptop stolen before kids' mental health talkImage caption, Alfie Watts says the police told him there's "not much they can do" after the theftByNicholas BourneBBC WalesPublished13 minutes agoRace Across the World winner Alfie Watts has described his "enormous frustration" at having his car broken into and laptop stolen while on a school tour. His device contained presentations he uses in his talks with young people about positivity, resilience and mental health. Watts, 22, said he had parked and left his vehicle for about 20 minutes when an opportunist smashed a window and found the laptop bag under his seat at Howard Place, Cardiff, on Tuesday night.

"I honestly reckon someone is just like 50-50, either there's something in there for me to take or there isn't," he said. Watts said the crime was "a low point" following two other unrelated thefts in the past two months. The material on his laptop was backed up on the internet so the theft did not affect three scheduled talks from going ahead on Wednesday, including at Mount Stuart Primary School in Cardiff Bay.

The Details

Watts faced challenges but no thefts while on his way to winning series four of the 's Race Across the World, travelling in excess of 9,300 miles (15,000km) across eastern Asia with his friend Owen Wood. "I know it's not an indictment of the people of Wales, and particularly not the city of Cardiff," he said. "It's just an enormous frustration.

"Image source, Alfie WattsImage caption, The thief also stole a packet of Worthers Original sweets as well as Watt's laptop and a sports racquetWatts, from Hatfield, Hertfordshire, shared his experiences with his 320,000 followers on Instagram. "The police have told me that there's not much they can do but will check the CCTV on-site," he said. "As you know, I'm not one to shy away from documenting the hard times as well as the good times, and this one's a low point sadly.

"Last year, he spent 192 days travelling around the globe, posting social media content about his experiences. And he has just raised £50,000 for mental health charity Young Minds by driving a tut-tut from London to Norway. This Instagram post cannot be displayed in your browser.

What Experts Say

Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Instagram The is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip instagram postAllow Instagram content?

This article contains content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Meta’s Instagram cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting.

To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. Accept and continue The is not responsible for the content of external sites.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.