Two thieves are caught on camera stealing a car in less than two minutes, during a spree of 59 Ford Fiesta thefts across the region.
The pair used transmitter devices to get into vehicles at train station car parks, which were often parked by commuters on their way into work by rail.
They would then use angle grinders to break apart steering locks before driving away.
But Kaine Guest-Scott and Theon Lynch were arrested in November 2022 after a major investigation by our vehicle crime task force.
As part of the investigation, extensive CCTV enquiries were carried out in and around the train stations and captured Guest-Scott and Lynch stealing the cars.
On 14 September, CCTV captured the pair arriving at The Hawthorns station car park in a red Ford Fiesta belonging to Lynch. They left the car a few roads away before heading to the station car park and stealing another Fiesta.
On 20 October at around 2.15pm, Guest-Scott and Lynch were again captured on CCTV, this time at Rowley Regis car park stealing another Ford Fiesta. Inside the car was the victim’s credit card that the pair are caught on CCTV using at a shop later that day.
On 14 November, Guest-Scott was arrested from his home by the team after he jumped out of a window to evade arrest. And a week later Lynch was also arrested.
Following a search of both addresses, police recovered clothing that matched what the pair were wearing in the CCTV. Phones were also recovered and following an analysis of the device, data placed Lynch at the theft locations and the shop where a stolen bank card was used.
Transmitter devices, blank Ford keys, and specialist auto locksmith tools, including a turbo decoder to defeat car door locks and reprogramming devices were also recovered.
Guest-Scott of Bayer Street Coseley and Lynch of Horsecroft Drive, West Bromwich both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit theft of motor vehicle covering 59 thefts, theft of a bank card and fraud.
At Birmingham Crown Court on Friday (17 March), they were sentenced to four years and one month, and three years retrospectively.
Sgt Mitch Darby from the Vehicle Crime Taskforce, said: “This is a great result and has meant that two prolific car thieves have been brought to justice and prevented from stealing any more cars.
“Guest-Scott and Lynch brazenly committed these crimes again and again in the middle of the day when their unsuspected victims were at work who would return to these car parks to find that their car had gone.
“The Vehicle Crime Taskforce was setup in response to rising levels of car thefts across the West Midlands and this remains a priority.
“We always act on information from the public. If something doesn’t feel right, always report it to us because your information does make a difference.”