GEAR SELECTOR STUCK UP

My partner and I were recently burgled, while we slept.   My 2 year old was also there - for that, I hate them....  But I digress.

They took  3 sets of car keys and took every one.  My car is just a little Toyota, and I found that on a council estate not too far away.  They also took a Mondeo and the Jag XF.

The police found the Jag and recovered accordingly, but on the keys being replaced it was noticed that the battery had been disconnected and the gear selector was still up and in drive.  The police assume that they disconnected the battery to stop any trackers, not that there was one fitted.

We know the car had run out of petrol, which was when they would have left the vehicle.

We are trying the sell the jag and have spent an absolute fortune on getting it right and the last thing we need is for this to cost another arm and a leg on top of everything we have just had to replace.

Is there any way of a normal Joe Soap to remedy this issue?  

I have read somewhere about an emergency lever but we are just not sure.

Can anybody help?

Thanks in advance.