This is when two car thieves managed to steal a Ford Fiesta in just 90 seconds – as part of a five-month crime spree that saw them steal 59 vehicles worth more than £366,000 in the Midlands.
Kaine Guest-Scott, 22, and Theon Lynch, 21, who attacked vehicles at train stations and parking lots in broad daylight, have both been sentenced to prison terms.
At Birmingham Crown Court, Guest-Scott, from Cosely, was sentenced to four years in prison, while Lynch, from West Bromwich, will serve three years and a month.
The brutal thieves used transmitters to unlock the cars – registered between 2012 and 2017 – without setting off the alarm.
The criminals then broke steering wheel locks with angle grinders and reprogrammed blank keys before fleeing the various scenes.
Kaine Guest-Scott (L), 22, and Theon Lynch (R), 21, who attacked vehicles at train stations and parking lots in broad daylight, have both been convicted
The pair became so adept at stealing Ford Fiestas, CCTV caught them stealing one in 90 seconds (pictured above)
Between June and November last year, Guest-Scott and Lynch stole 59 Ford Fiestas worth more than £350,000, which police said were then stripped for parts.
West Midlands Police launched a police investigation, which culminated in their arrest in November.
CCTV footage captured the couple targeting parties in parking garages where commuters often left their vehicles as they commuted to work.
On September 14, the couple arrived at the parking lot of The Hawthorns station in a red Ford Fiesta owned by Lynch.
They parked the car a few blocks away before going to the station car park and picking up another Fiesta.
On October 20, at around 2:15 p.m., they were filmed in the Rowley Regis parking lot stealing another Ford Fiesta.
Inside the car was the victim’s credit card, which Guest-Scott and Lynch caught on CCTV in a store later that day.
On November 14, Guest-Scott was arrested at his home despite attempting to evade officers by jumping out of a window to escape. A week later, his co-defendant Lynch was also arrested.
After a search of both addresses, the police found clothing that matched what the couple was wearing on the CCTV footage.
Officers then seized the suspect’s phones and analysis located Lynch near the parking garages and store where a stolen debit card was used.
Transmitters, blank Ford keys and specialized auto locksmith tools, including a turbo decoder to bypass car door locks and reprogramming devices, were also recovered.
Police have recovered a number of devices linking the pair to the crimes, including transmitters, blank Ford keys and specialized car locksmith tools
At Birmingham Crown Court, Guest-Scott (L), from Cosely, was sentenced to four years in prison, while Lynch (R), from West Bromwich, will serve three years and one month.
The pair both admitted conspiracy to commit motor vehicle theft, including 59 robberies, bank card theft and fraud at Birmingham Crown Court before sentencing.
Sergeant Mitch Darby, of the Vehicle Crime Taskforce, said: ‘This is a great result and has resulted in two prolific car thieves being brought to justice and unable to steal more cars.
“Guest-Scott and Lynch brazenly perpetrated these crimes over and over again in the middle of the day when their unsuspected victims were at work and returned to these parking garages only to find their car gone.”
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