Birmingham ‘car cannibals’ are ripping parked vehicles to pieces

Brutal ‘car cannibal’ thieves terrorize motorists in a British town, strip parked vehicles for parts and traumatize owners.

A crime spree has gripped central Birmingham, with a ‘professional’ gang of criminals running rampant and tearing up cars in Digbeth.

Nine separate cars were targeted in the city center in January alone, with the BBC reporting three more cars last year.

The victims included a nurse who worked a night shift and a music lover whose car was ripped apart while attending a concert.

Now motorists have come forward in droves, demanding a number of measures to quell the wave of vehicle crime plaguing Birmingham.

Entrepreneur Paul Hampton and his partner Jacqui Heeley were rudely awakened just before 5am yesterday when his neighbor told them to ‘look at their car’

One of the victims, Charaya White, described how the ordeal led to a panic attack when she discovered in May 2022 that parts of her Citroën C1 had been brushed off in the New Canal Street car park.

In conversation with the BBCMrs. White said, “Initially I thought my car had been hit by someone in the parking lot.

“I literally broke down… I just went into shock.”

Ms White came forward after hearing the story from Rebecca Scotland, last month, who described how her Citroen C1 was left undriveable after parts were professionally removed in the same car park.

The 27-year-old had been visiting Nina Nesbitt at the O2 Academy with partner Tony Lincoln when the vandals struck and smashed the passenger window so they could open the bonnet and leave her number plate behind.

She said, “I just broke down, I’ve never been so upset in my life.” That was my first time driving to Birmingham and I was delighted to have done the drive.

“It looked like it was done very professionally, nothing had snapped and they knew what they were doing.

“I am traumatized by it. I will now always worry about leaving my car, even in front of my own front door. It has shaken me and made me feel violated.”

Now Rebecca is warning others to be careful after hearing of similar cases around town

Rebecca Scotland said her car was undriveable after parts were professionally removed when she left it in a Birmingham car park

Nurse Samantha Rose was another victim of the thieves, who attacked her car at 2 a.m. on January 30 while she was working a night shift at Barberry Mental Health Center.

To add to her misery, the police told her they cannot investigate unless there is clear CCTV footage of the crime as it happened.

“I’m a nurse and I spent nights all week — this was my first night back,” she told the Subway.

“I called the police as soon as it happened but the only correspondence I have had is a text saying that unless I had clear CCTV footage the case would be recorded and closed.

“I’m just so gutted, I can’t believe people would do this. My neighbour’s vehicle was stripped Thursday night and his dad’s car was broken into Friday night – all in Water Mill Close.

“I fully understand that the police need to deal with more serious crimes, but if they come out when called, they might have a better chance of catching the people who are doing this.”

‘Car cannibalism’ often involves thieves breaking through a window to remove the hood, bumper and headlights, exposing the engine.

In December, thieves managed to write off a £16,500 Mercedes after ripping off the doors, bonnet, trunk, wheels and seats while the car’s owners slept a few feet away in their home.

Entrepreneur Paul Hampton, 56, and his partner Jacqui Heeley, 54, were awakened at 5am after a neighbor told them to ‘look at their car’, which was parked outside their home in West Bromwich, West Midlands.

Mr Hampton with his car, now written off by their insurance company after the £14,000 damage

Mr Hampton was stunned to see his 2018 C-Class AMG bare as he looked out the window of his home at 5am this morning

Thinking it had been ‘wrecked’, Mr Hampton was stunned to discover his 2018 C-Class AMG had been methodically stripped of parts by thieves.

The owner of the safe company, whose car was fitted with a tracker to prevent theft, found that both the driver’s and passenger’s doors were missing, along with both front seats and all four wheels, leaving the car on bricks.

Mr Hampton said: ‘When I stepped out the front door I just couldn’t believe what I saw. They had not damaged any panels, it was just stripped bare.

“These are professionals and seem to work in teams of five or six to reduce time.

‘Everyone has their own task. Not only did they cut the wires in the doors, they also loosened the connectors to prevent damage. They left the other parts in perfect condition.

“They didn’t leave fingerprints because they wore latex gloves and it probably didn’t take them long to get everything off because they’re not your average car thieves.

“We spoke to some mechanic friends and they think they wanted the bumper and the lights because they have a sensor in them that makes them worth £1,000.

“They must have been insane before that happened though, because they only managed to get the license plates off. More could have been taken.’

Mr Hampton and Mrs Heeley have had the two-door coupe on hire-purchase since April 2018 and it is expected to be worth £16,500 by the end of March 2021.

However, the damage done is worth at least £14,000 if the car is written off by their insurance company.

The Mercedes was left on bricks after thieves removed all four wheels, along with the doors, hood, trunk, wheels and seats

Mr Hampton said: ‘This is my fifth Mercedes, I’ve had them for 15 years. I’ve never experienced anything like it.

“It almost puts me off buying another one. I better just have a £500 banger on the ride for them to steal.

“I just want people to be aware that this is happening. I could have done things like park the car behind the house, but I think they would still have done what they did.’

The BBC investigation revealed other victims hit by the thieves.

Meg Matthews, 21, from Stourbridge, had her Vauxhall Corsa stripped in October 2022 while parked in the New Canal Street car park.

Ms Matthews said: ‘I sat down and closed my door, I heard glass breaking, looked to the side and my window was completely smashed,’ said Ms Matthews.

“Then I looked ahead and realized my hood was missing.”

She added that she was “terrified” after discovering the theft and said she “couldn’t move.”

“I was then stuck in my car for at least half an hour until my friend could actually come get me,” she said.

Another motorist named Caleb, a student from Coventry, also reportedly fell victim to car cannibals in the same car park, who stripped his partner’s Toyota Yaris while attending a concert nearby in November.

West Midlands Police said an 18-year-old man was arrested in January on suspicion of theft but has been released on conditions while the investigation continues.

A police spokesman told the BBC: “We have stepped up patrols around car parks in Digbeth after a number of vehicles have been stripped of parts.

“We received nine reports in January and we know the inconvenience and frustration this causes for car owners.”