Thief who blocked wi-fi to steal car keys jailed

A car thief who blocked people's wi-fi to disable doorbell cameras so he could break into their homes and steal luxury cars has been jailed.

Over a period of 12 months, Damon Keegan took almost £350,000 worth of high value vehicles, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.

When he was arrested in November 2023, he was found with a radio frequency jamming device used by criminals to block mobile telephone and wi-fi signals.

The 31-year-old, of Woodland View in Hyde, was jailed for six years and 11 months at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court.

Keegan admitted conspiracy to burgle, seven counts of burglary, one count of attempted burglary, eight counts of theft of a motor vehicle, one of going equipped to steal, three counts of handling stolen goods and dangerous driving.

Police launched an investigation in August 2023 following several burglaries targeting high value cars across Greater Manchester, Cheshire, and Derbyshire, identifying Keegan as a potential suspect.

A search of his garage found lock-picking sets, blank car keys, a spy camera, a sledgehammer, a blow torch, replacement footwear, clothing, an axe, and several Apple Air Tag tracking devices.

He used a variety of methods to steal the cars, "but each were intrusive and left victims feeling uneasy in their own homes", GMP said.

During one of this crimes in Knutsford in May 2023, Keegan was disturbed by an alarm in the early hours of the morning.

In a rush to leave, he left behind a radio frequency jammer, identical to the one seized from Keegan on his arrest.

A forensic examination of the device also identified Keegan's DNA.

Another incident, in Lymm in October 2023, saw Keegan take a black BMW X5 from a drive.

Keegan had disconnected the wi-fi so the owner would not get notified by their doorbell camera before breaking into the house to steal the keys.

During the investigation, police discovered a garage near to Keegan’s home address which appeared to be used solely for the preparation of burglary offences, GMP said.

On several occasions, he had also committed burglaries while he was subject to an electronic curfew between the hours of 19:00 – and 07:00 BST.

A police representative said: “His methods were intrusive and ruinous, often breaking into people’s houses whilst they slept, leaving them unable to get to work or take their children to school when they woke up to see their cars gone and homes tampered with.

“His crimes had significant financial and emotional impacts on our victims, and I hope this demonstrates that regardless of the steps you may take to conceal your offending, we will exhaust every line of enquiry to ensure you are put behind bars."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas to [email protected] and via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.