A gang of 'brazen' car thieves, who bragged about their crimes on TikTok, have been jailed. Joshua Reid, Cody Morgan, Connor O'Keefe-Clancy and Ryan Allen, as well as two teenagers, stole 45 vehicles worth over £1m.
Detectives say the group, who went equipped with weapons, took the keys to high-value cars including BMWs, Audis and Mercedes after targeting homes across Coventry, Warwickshire, Birmingham, Stourbridge and Solihull between March 2022 and May 2023. It is understood the group even threatened one homeowner saying they would stab him if he did not hand over his car keys in October 2022.
West Midlands Police said the gang filmed their crimes and posted them on TikTok. A video posted in February 2023 shows the masked group breaking into a property before stealing a Hyundai and hitting speeds in excess of 100mph.
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Detectives from the WMP Serious and Organised Crime Unit began an investigation into the series of car key burglaries in the West Midlands. Two of the gang who were only 16 years old at the time were arrested in May after a member of the public reported a car and occupants acting suspiciously on Groveley Lane in Birmingham.
Officers said they searched the car and found pepper spray, balaclavas and another set of car keys belonging to a stolen BMW. Cops arrested the gang in June 2023.
As part of their arrests, mobile phones were seized and when examined, were found to be filled with videos of the gang at the scenes of the burglaries and driving the stolen vehicles at speeds in excess of 100mph. Josh Reid was also found to have a distinctive tattoo on his left hand that matched TikTok videos he had filmed of himself, placing him and his accomplices at the scene of the crimes, said West Midlands Police.
Reid, Morgan, O'Keefe-Clancy and Allen all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary and were sentenced on Monday, September 25. Joshua Reid, 25, was sentenced to four years and six months and Cody Morgan, 25, was sentenced to three years and four months.
Connor O'Keefe-Clancy, 19, was jailed for five years and Ryan Allen, 21, was sentenced to four years and three months. A 16-year-old boy, who has not been named, was sentenced to four years and six months, and a second teenager, who has also not been named, received a two-year Youth Rehabilitation Order.
Detective Constable Kenny Crawford, of West Midlands Police, said: “It was 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.
“Before committing these crimes the group would research potential locations on their mobile phones even recording images or videos of the attacked properties as well as checking the value of the vehicles they intended to steal.
“All six offenders have demonstrated a complete lack of remorse for their actions and even recorded their crimes before uploading them onto TikTok for views, and their crimes have had a wide-ranging effect on their victims some of whom have described it as devastating not only to their home and family life but also in their everyday life with some of them in fear of leaving their houses even to attend hospital appointments.
“We hope their sentences bring some closure to the victims and sends a message to criminals across the West Midlands that we will investigate and bring offenders to justice.”
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