‘Fearless’ car thieves terrorise county

Car owners in parts of county Cork have been left in a state of constant fear by a gang of car thieves who are targeting certain models for parts.

That’s according to Aontú councillor for Fermoy, Peter O’ Donoghue, who described the thieves as “highly professional and fearless”. In recent weeks, he has been contacted by constituents predominantly from the Watergrasshill, Fermoy, and Mitchelstown areas following the theft of several vehicles, mainly Skoda and Volkswagen.

Cllr O’Donoghue said that following discussions with professionals in the car industry, it is likely the cars are being sent to “chop shops” in Ireland before specific parts are being sent abroad to be sold. He also said a number of mechanics he has spoken to have speculated that the thieves can scan a vehicle owner’s wireless key fob from outside their home and transfer the signal to their own scanning hubs, enabling them to steal the cars quite easily. “One lady contacted me to say she had been sitting at her window at 10pm at night and she looked up and she thought she saw a face in the window,” said Cllr O’Donoghue.

“She mentioned it to her husband the next day and they looked at CCTV and could clearly see a man at their house holding what appeared to be a fob.

“At one stage, this lady went into her garden to look around and, though he was only some four feet from her, he didn’t panic. He just sank into the shadows and went back to working on the car when the lady went back into her house. Naturally, this incident has had a profound effect on this lady and her family. They are severely traumatised and are now very scared in their own home.”

Cllr O’Donoghue added that the gardaí are aware of the situation and have been “absolutely fantastic” in their efforts to maintain an increased presence in the areas affected.

“I have spoken to the Chief Superintendent who is strongly advising people to be vigilant,” he said. “In the case of this lady who contacted me, thankfully the thief didn’t manage to rob the car as the woman didn’t store her key fob near the hall, which is where people normally store theirs.

“I would urge people to be aware of what’s going on—be vigilant.

“Please don’t store your key fobs in places that are easy for thieves to access,” added the councillor.