How prolific burglar used 'spy gadgets' to disarm security and enter homes to steal cars

Keegan, 1 of the cars helium stole and portion of his burglary kit. (Image: GMP)

A prolific burglar utilized high-tech spy gadgets to disable people's location information truthful helium could bargain their high-value cars.

Damon Keegan, 33, was recovered with a vigor frequence jamming instrumentality which is simply a blase instrumentality susceptible of blocking mobile telephone and Wi-Fi signals.

When Keegan was arrested connected November 22, 2023, helium was recovered with a vigor frequence jamming instrumentality which is simply a blase instrumentality often utilized by criminals, susceptible of blocking mobile telephone and Wi-Fi signals.

Over 12 months, Keegan committed respective offences, racking up a full of astir £350,000 worthy of high-value cars stolen.

He utilized a assortment of methods to bargain the cars, but each was intrusive and near victims feeling uneasy successful their ain homes.

On 1 juncture successful Knutsford successful May 2023, Keegan was disturbed by an alarm successful the aboriginal hours of the morning. In a unreserved to leave, helium near down a vigor frequence jammer, identical to the 1 seized from Keegan connected arrest. A forensic introspection of the instrumentality besides identified DNA from Keegan.

A burglary kit fond successful a stolen Audi (Image: GMP)

In Lymm successful October 2023, a achromatic BMW X5 was stolen from a driveway. Keegan disconnected the Wi-Fi truthful the proprietor wouldn’t get notified by their doorbell camera, and helium broke into the location to bargain the keys.

During the investigation, constabulary discovered a store adjacent Keegan’s location code which appeared to beryllium utilized solely for the mentation of burglary offences. Items recovered included a rucksack containing fastener picking sets, blank car keys, a spy camera, a sledgehammer, a stroke torch, replacement footwear, clothing, an axe, and respective Apple Air Tags.

His burglary spree targetted high-value cars crossed Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Derbyshire.

In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said: "In August 2023, Greater Manchester Police launched a proactive probe pursuing respective burglaries targeting high-value cars crossed Greater Manchester, Cheshire, and Derbyshire.

Keegan stole £350,000 worthy of cars successful a year. (Image: GMP)

"Proactive enactment by our Tactical Vehicle Intercept Unit identified respective burglaries and sightings of stolen luxury cars which appeared to beryllium linked, and Damon Keegan was identified arsenic a imaginable suspect. Detectives successful our Serious Organised Crime Group were brought successful to analyse the crimes, and a surveillance cognition was authorised to stitchery grounds and intelligence.

"Damon Keegan (05/11/1992) of Woodland View, Hyde, appeared astatine Minshull Street, Manchester Crown Court contiguous (Friday 27 September). He pleaded blameworthy to conspiracy to burgle, 7 counts of burglary, 1 number of attempted burglary, 8 counts of theft of centrifugal vehicle, 1 number of going equipped to steal, and 3 counts of handling stolen goods and unsafe driving.

"He has been jailed for 6 years and 11 months."

On respective occasions, Keegan committed the burglaries portion helium was taxable to the Electronic Monitoring System (EMS) with a curfew betwixt 7pm – 7am. Regardless, helium stole an Audi A3 from an code successful Timperley, and an Audi S3 from Congleton and Stockport, further incriminating himself.

Scrutiny of the EMS information identified that Keegan was not astatine location during the hours of his curfew erstwhile the burglaries had been committed.

A vigor frequence jammer recovered connected Keegan. (Image: GMP)

Detective Constable Holden from our Serious Organised Crime Group said: “Keegan was a prolific burglar with a drawstring of akin past convictions, who, implicit the abstraction of 12 months stole implicit £300,000 worthy of luxury cars. His methods were intrusive and ruinous, often breaking into people’s houses whilst they slept, leaving them incapable to get to enactment oregon instrumentality their children to schoolhouse erstwhile they woke up to spot their cars gone and homes tampered with.

“This was an extended probe which crossed borders and progressive collaboration with neighbouring forces to nexus Keegan’s crimes and guarantee helium faced consequences for each his offending. His crimes had important fiscal and affectional impacts connected our victims, and I anticipation this demonstrates that careless of the steps you whitethorn instrumentality to conceal your offending, we volition exhaust each enactment of enquiry to guarantee you are enactment down bars.

“Ultimately, the cases brought by the squad successful this probe were truthful overwhelming, Keegan had nary enactment but to plead guilty.”