More than two years in prison for 'opportunistic' car thief

A man who stole vehicles from residential areas in broad daylight has been sentenced to more than two years behind bars.

An investigation by Bedfordshire Police's dedicated burglary team, Op Maze, found that Cameron McDonagh was responsible for stealing cars from two addresses in Luton in January and February last year.

During the first offence, McDonagh stole the car keys from inside the victim's property and fled the scene before the victim realised a crime had been committed.

On the second occasion, he sprinted to the targeted car and jumped in the driver's seat while the owner went to get her handbag from her porch. Once aware of what was happening, she tried to stop McDonagh by running behind the vehicle as he was backing it out of the driveway, but he continued to reverse into her before accelerating away.

Officers later located the cars, both of which had been crashed and abandoned, and forensic evidence indicated that McDonagh had been driving, despite being banned.

Mobile phone analysis also placed him at the locations of the thefts and crashes.

McDonagh, 20, of Canberra Gardens, Luton, appeared at Luton Crown Court on Friday (6 January), and was sentenced to 28 months in prison for robbery.

He was also given a three-month sentence, to run concurrently, for handling stolen goods. 

Detective Constable Pawel Karpinski, who led the investigation, said: "The brazenness of McDonagh's actions—not only stealing these cars but also purposely driving into a victim—shows his complete lack of morality and disregard for the wellbeing of others. I am glad that he has been brought to justice. 

"Sadly, we know that thieves will often seek out quick and easy opportunities, so it's important that we remain vigilant and take appropriate precautions to protect ourselves. 

"The more we can do to reduce their opportunities, the less likely it is that these offenders will commit crimes and get away with them."

For advice on what you can do to protect your belongings, your home and yourselves from crime, please visit the Bedfordshire Police website.

If you are a victim or witness of crime, or have noticed any suspicious activity, please call police on 101 or report online at beds.police.uk/ro/report.