Brazen thieves take tyres off car in view of CCTV camera

Brazen thieves took wheels off car in full view of CCTV camera


Anton McNulty

When Pat Ward parked his Toyota Avensis underneath the security camera outside his pub in Partry he assumed it was in a safe spot. However, when he woke up in the morning he found his car on a block with the four alloy wheels stolen.
The incident took place last Tuesday evening outside the popular The Lough Inn Bar and Restaurant in Partry which is located along the busy N84. At around 11.45pm when the pub was closed, a Toyota Hiace parked in front of the pub and two males got out and without any hesitation started to jack up Pat’s car.
In less than half an hour, they had the wheels off leaving the Avensis on blocks and they fled in the direction of Castlebar.
“I couldn’t believe it when I saw it,” Pat told The Mayo News. “The car was parked along the main road with plenty of traffic and with street lights outside the door. The security camera was looking down on it, what more security would you need.
“The pub is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and we were upstairs when it happened. It was a windy night and we thought we heard something but thought it was the wind. Maybe it was the noise of the car we heard,” he said.
The incident was captured on CCTV and it showed two young males with hoodies coming up to the car and then coming back with a jack. Pat said it was not a professional job and the two men would hide behind the car whenever they would see the lights of cars coming along the road. However, they didn’t stop until they had the four alloy wheels off.
Pat only discovered something was wrong at 8.30 the following morning when a passing motorist phoned him to say his wheels were missing. He said his initial reaction was shock that anybody could have the nerve to take the wheels infront of a pub along a busy road.
No arrests have been made yet and anybody with any information is asked to contact Castlebar Garda Station.