A dad-of-two has spoken of his shock after finding that as many as SIX men in balaclavas had smashed their way into his home with a sledgehammer so they could steal his car.
Paul Butler, 38, of Mirfield , said the men arrived in an Audi A4 and stole his high-powered Mercedes C63 AMG which sell for over £45,000.
Paul, who has daughters aged 11 and 21, said: “They got the keys either out of the lock on the door or from the kitchen and sped off.
“Fortunately the police got my car back after getting the helicopter out and using a stinger which punctured one of the car’s tyres.
“We were all in bed at the time but my neighbour across the road heard them smash the window and then saw them driving off in my car.
“He said there were five or six of them all with balaclavas on. I didn’t hear a thing. The police were already here when I woke up.”
It is believed the thieves made off in a three-car convoy with a BMW and an Audi – but police were quickly onto them.
Officers deployed a stinger – a roll-out device with spikes – which forced the Mercedes to a halt near Hartshead, not far from Paul’s home.
It is believed the driver fled and the other two cars were last seen heading towards Bradford. No arrests are thought to have been made.
This is the latest in a spate of so-called Hanoi burglaries where thieves break into houses to target high-value cars parked outside.
Paul said his youngest daughter had been “freaked out” at what happened and added: “The missus now doesn’t want me to have a high-powered car after all this.
“But I’m not letting them dictate what type of car I have. I understand this kind of things is pretty rife at the moment.”
Mirfield has been a hotspot for Hanoi burglaries in recent months and local councillor Martyn Bolt has called for a meeting with Kirklees police commander, Chief Supt Steve Cotter.
Local tradesmen have also told how their workload has gone up as a result of the Hanoi raids.
Meltham-based mobile locksmith Darren Irving, who runs HD Locksmiths, said such burglaries had become “very common.”
He said that he saw many homes with weak locks on UPVC doors which could easily be forced.
“I’ve seen some doors with £3 locks on them – and a £50,000 car in the drive. What people should do is fit three-star anti-snap locks. Any reputable locksmith will look and offer advice for free.
“Anti-snap locks cost about £100 per door. There are some that even come with a £1,000 guarantee that they are burglar-proof.”
The gang forced patio doors and went upstairs waking a 15-year-old who was asleep in bed. The gang fled when the family’s dog started barking.
Raiders also struck in Brighouse, stealing keys to three high-value vehicles, a BMW 33D Touring and two Mercedes Vito vans.
The raid happened in the early hours while a family – including a 12-year-old girl – slept upstairs.
Darren said his advice would be to leave car keys downstairs out of sight of windows but so they could be easily found.
“There have been instances of thieves going upstairs to demand car keys and that’s not something I would want to happen to my family,” he said.
“Leave the keys downstairs and let them take the car. Cars can be replaced.”
It is believed the cars are being stolen and dismantled for parts.
West Yorkshire’s Roads Policing Unit tweeted a picture of a recovered Mercedes near Hartshead, believed to be Paul’s car.
Officers tweeted: “Fantastic initiative to sting this stolen vehicle as it drove away from the victim’s address near Hartshead.
“Vehicle recovered within five minutes of it being stolen. Property returned, no pursuit, no damage, no injuries.”
The RPU later tweeted a picture of an officer repairing the damaged stinger describing it as “quite therapeutic!”
On the latest incident a spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: “Police were called at around 1.15am on Monday to reports of a burglary and a car being stolen.
“The suspects forced entry into an address in Mirfield and took a set of car keys from the kitchen.
“They fled the property and drove off with the victim’s Mercedes C63 which was later recovered by police. Enquiries are continuing.
“Anyone with any information about this incident, or saw anyone in the area this morning is asked to contact the police via 101 quoting crime reference number 13180046685.
“Alternatively information can be passed to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
