S07E28 — Hard Feelings

Jo becomes involved in the plight of a struggling cosmetics rep whose car has been stolen. The culprit turns out to be an angry teenager from a broken family. Not only has the car been written off, but $2,000 worth of cosmetics in the boot has been destroyed and a family's livelihood is gone. The resulting financial crisis is too much for the victim's husband, who leaves home hot on the heels of the repo men. The Heelers' attempts to get the boy to apologise and pay restitution fall on deaf ears. Tom and Jo are angry at the boy's unrepentant attitude, but the victim doesn't help her case when she meets him at the station and punches him in the stomach. The teenager insists on pressing assault charges, which only hardens the attitudes of Jo and most of the other Heelers against him. But Ben refuses to give up on the kid. If he likes cars perhaps the challenge of fixing one up can keep him out of trouble. The boy's father runs a successful automotive workshop and agrees to help by pro