CCTV captured the shocking moment raiders used a stolen vehicle to crash into a motor repair center and steal £100k worth of luxury cars.
Three balaclava-wearing thieves used a Volkswagen Polo to reverse into the metal shutters of the Newcastle Repair Centre, before breaking into the building.
Footage of the raid shows the thieves abandoning the Polo, which had been stolen from a Newcastle street, once the shutters gave way.
Newcastle Crown Court heard that once inside, they took the keys to seven cars but managed to steal two Mercedes C-Class engines, a Mercedes E-Class and a BMW 5 Series.
The owner of the repair center said he felt he had “lost everything” after the attack and said in an impact statement: “I’m completely lost, I don’t know what’s next.”
Prosecutor Matthew Hopkins told the court that although there were three people involved, only one had been identified.
Kieran McMahon, 22, of Edward Road, Birtley, Gateshead, admitted theft of the Volkswagen Polo, theft of the number plates to put on it and theft from the repair centre.
Judge Tom Mitchell sentenced him to three years in prison.
Three balaclava-wearing thieves used a Volkswagen Polo to reverse into the metal shutters of the Newcastle Repair Centre, before breaking into the building.
The judge said the car owners were greatly inconvenienced and the repair shop owner was left “bereft.”
Hopkins told the court that the Polo, worth £2,700, had been stolen from Ellesmere Road in Newcastle on March 6.
The number plates were stolen from another vehicle in the Fenham area of the city and put on the Polo.
The three robbers then traveled to the repair center on Condicum Road.
Hopkins said: “What we see on CCTV is the stolen VW Polo arriving outside the garage, which was closed and locked at the time.
‘A man wearing a balaclava comes out of the Polo and pushes a rubbish bag under a CCTV camera, trying to interfere with the CCTV camera.
Kieran McMahon, 22, of Edward Road, Birtley, Gateshead, admitted theft of the Volkswagen Polo, theft of number plates to put it on and theft from the repair centre; He was imprisoned for three years.
Then you see two men leave the Pole. One enters the garage, where the men have used the Polo to back into the shutters, causing them to break.
Hopkins said the group was seen leaving and returning several times, stealing a total of four cars from the repair shop.
McMahon, who has convictions for 55 offences, took one of the Mercedes C-class engines.
Mr Hopkins added: “The total value of the cars is £100,000.”
The court heard, in addition to the cost of the stolen cars, £600 in damage to the repair centre’s CCTV cameras and £5,000 to the shutter doors.
The five stolen vehicles were recovered by police.
Tony Cornberg, defending, said McMahon has never had a job, he wants to work, earn his own money and have a normal family life.
Cornberg said McMahon took educational courses while in protective custody.