A £50,000 Audi TT believed to belong to a beggar was found smashed up after he was spotted loading his shopping items into it.
Matthew Brinton sparked fury when he was filmed putting his shopping and dog Hazel into the flashy car after a day of begging on the streets.
He is known in Newquay, Cornwall, for spending his days asking for money on the streets.
Today, a battered Audi which is said to share the same number plates as Mr Brinton's car was found in the town after the windscreen was smashed.
Matthew claims the car was a gift from his grandmother and that it was stolen from him. Police have no record of the attack on the car, but said they are investigating.
Matthew, 35, claimed yesterday he's received death threats from residents who think he was passing himself off as homeless in a bid to take their cash.
He was filmed bundling his border collie and a sleeping bag into the Audi in a car park close to his begging patch.
"People are assuming too much and I'm getting a lot of abuse, which is pushing me to suicide," he said. "This has been going on for years."
Dave Meredith, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said the beggar has had threats but none were deemed to present an immediate risk to his safety.
He said: "We've told him – "You need to be careful because of the video on Facebook. There's lots of ill-feeling and animosity because of it," the police warned.
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