A Birmingham car theft gang that bragged about their crimes on TikTok has been sentenced to jail at Birmingham Crown Court for stealing 45 luxury cars worth over £1 million. 

The six-person gang, comprising four men and two teenagers, targeted houses across Birmingham, Stourbridge, Solihull, Coventry, and Warwickshire between March 2022 and May 2023. They took keys to high-value cars, including BMWs, Audis, and Mercedes. The armed gang even threatened to stab a homeowner in Kings Norton, Birmingham, if he didn’t give them his car keys.

According to West Midlands Police, the gang filmed their crimes and posted some on TikTok. After confiscating their phones, officers found videos of them committing burglaries, car thefts, and internet searches for the value of the stolen vehicles. One video showed them wearing masks, breaking into a property, stealing a Hyundai, and speeding at over 100 mph.

Birmingham’s Serious and Organised Crime team investigation led to the arrest of two 16-year-olds in May 2023 after a public report of suspicious behaviour. Police found pepper spray, balaclavas, and car keys linked to a stolen BMW in their car. The rest of the gang was arrested in June 2023.

The six members pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit burglary and were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court. They are Joshua Reid (25), Cody Morgan (25), Connor O’Keefe-Clancy (19), Ryan Allen (21) and two 16-year-olds, whose identities were not revealed.

“These offences were a series of brazen, planned and targeted crimes where vehicles were stolen to order and at times sophisticated equipment was used not only to commit the offences but also to block and locate trackers so they could be removed,” said Detective Constable Kenny Crawford, from Birmingham’s Serious and Organised Crime Team.

Detective Crawford said that the gang’s crimes had had a wide-ranging impact on their victims. Some had described the experience as devastating to their home and family life and their everyday lives. Some victims even became afraid to leave their homes to attend hospital appointments.

“We hope their sentences bring some closure to the victims and send a message to criminals across the West Midlands that we will investigate and bring offenders to justice,” added Detective Crawford.

Rising car theft in Britain

According to data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), vehicle theft in the UK increased by 24.9 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) reports that Land Rover is the most stolen car brand in the UK. In the year ending March 2023, an estimated one in every hundred Land Rovers had been reported stolen.

Mercedes-Benz takes the second spot, with 323 cars stolen per 100,000. Ford and BMW, with theft rates of 292 and 290 vehicles stolen per 100,000, are in the third and fourth spots, respectively. Audi, Toyota, Fiat, Volkswagen, Vauxhall, and Hyundai are on the rest of the top ten list.

The data also show the regional breakdown of car thefts. The West Midlands takes the lead with 251 car thefts per 100,000 vehicles, closely followed by London. On the other hand, Dyfed in Wales stands out with the lowest car theft rate, with only 22 thefts per 100,000 vehicles.

Regardless of where you live or the brand of your vehicle, safeguarding it from theft is the priority. This is especially important for high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) who own high-value cars.

Ensuring the security of your vehicles at home also contributes to your safety. Some car thefts have been proven to carry weapons and threaten the owners.

Security agencies like Marengo can help assess the situation at your residence and find the right security solution for you. Whether you want solutions such as CCTV cameras, intruder alarms, access panels, or close protection officers, they can help determine the best way to protect your cars and yourself.