Soldier’s ute stolen and torched on Anzac Day

A Darwin soldier has become the victim of thieves who took his ute for a joy ride before torching it, just hours before he planned to attend an Anzac Day dawn service.

Shawn Guilmartin was preparing to leave his Rosebery home for the service in the early hours of this morning when he noticed his Toyota Hilux ute was missing from his driveway.

Belongings from a neighbour’s car were also strewn across his yard.

He discovered thieves had cut the flyscreen on his back door and taken the keys to his prized truck as the household slept.

The ute was found nearby not long after.

Police told the Lance Corporal the ute had been driven off-road when it became stuck. It was then torched, most likely to destroy any evidence.

The soldier told 9NEWS he liked to focus “100 percent” on Anzac Day each year but after the callous and disrespectful act this morning his “mind was set in two different places”.

“I should be showing respect but I was also thinking ‘where’s my ute?’. It had a half tank of fuel so it could have been anywhere,” he said.

“I had a lot of gear in the back as well, so that is a fair bit of money’s worth… I’m just trying to not let it affect me too much.”

Police are attempting to track down those responsible, but with little of the torched vehicle remaining this could prove a challenge.