Gone in 60 seconds: watch as thieves swipe £400 catalytic converter in just 1 minute
Video shows brazen crooks committing high-value theft in broad daylight
CCTV footage has shown the moment three brazen thieves stole a valuable catalytic converter from a parked car in just 60 seconds.
The crooks jacked up the vehicle and removed the £400 component in broad daylight and in plain sight of passers-by.
The footage was released by Derbyshire Police as a warning to drivers to be on their guard against thieves after the trio were convicted of a raft of charges.
Brothers Anthony and Thomas McDonagh and accomplice Gerard McInerney were spotted carrying out the theft on camera in September last year, with one of the gang casually leaning on their getaway car while another hacks the valuable part from the car.
The trio were caught following a high-speed police chase which ended when they crashed the getaway car at Spider Island in Derby following the theft on September 24.
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A Derbyshire Police spokesperson said: “The clip shows the three brazen thieves stealing a catalytic converter in broad daylight.
“The men spot their target car and pull up next to it, so they can take a closer look.
“One of the men carries a jack to the side of the target car, while the other two keep watch.
“Despite there being people up the road, the thieves are undeterred and use a saw next.”
Thomas McDonagh, 32, of Coventry, admitted conspiring to steal catalytic converters from motor vehicles and dangerous driving.
He was jailed for 23 months and disqualified from driving for 22 months.
His brother Anthony, 30, also of Coventry, admitted conspiring to steal catalytic converters from motor vehicles and criminal damage and was jailed for 17 months.
McInerney, 23, of Coventry, admitted conspiring to steal catalytic converters from motor vehicles.
He was handed an eight-month jail sentence, suspended for two years and ordered to 80 hours unpaid work.
Theft of catalytic converters, which are fitted to all modern cars to clean up emissions, is motivated by the precious metal they contain. The filters feature platinum, rhodium and palladium, which recently reached its highest value for 10 years.
Hybrid cars are particularly vulnerable because their converters are cleaner, which means the metals inside them are less likely to corrode.
