Four vans ripped open like tin cans all parked in 'last place you would expect'
Skilled workers and their families were left devastated when thieves carried out an astonishing series of brazen raids in broad daylight. Thousands of pounds worth of tools were taken from four vans parked up at two golf clubs in northeast Wales.
Pictures show the thieves drilled out locks to gain entry. In at least one case, a hole was ripped in the side of a van as if a giant tin opener had been used.
North Wales Police is investigating the break-ins and has appealed for witnesses and video evidence. Three raids were reported at Wrexham Golf Club and another a short while later at Vale of Llangollen Golf Club on Saturday, May 31.
At Llangollen's car park, joiner Jason Jones returned from a round of golf to find two holes in his Ford Transit and its contents missing. He estimated 23 cordless tools, mostly expensive Makitas worth around £3,000, were stolen. Now lacking his van and tools, all planned work has been rescheduled, leaving him and his business, Marson Joinery, further out of pocket.
'So bloody angry,' said his partner online. 'Can't believe nobody saw this happening. I hope whoever did this is so proud of themselves, you are an absolute disgrace.'
CCTV footage from the club has been handed over to the police. The theft is thought to have happened between 1.20pm-1.45pm. Jason, from Wrexham, said: 'I really appreciate the way Llangollen Golf Club efficiently dealt with the situation once they had been made aware.'
It was a similar scenario at Wrexham Golf Club car park where three van owners were also left distraught the same day. One estimate put the combined haul here at £10,000. Again, it's thought high-value cordless tools were targeted before the thieves moved on to Llangollen.
One victim didn't discover the theft until he returned to his van at 5.30pm. All his battery powered tools were removed. Online, his partner said: 'We are fuming. Absolutely gutted! How the hell is he meant to work with no tools?'
Online photos of another van targeted at Wrexham shows a series of holes drilled to gain entry. It's estimated the Ford Transit custom van was broken into between 12.10pm-12.45pm.
Again, multiple tools were stolen, including brands such as Makita and Milwaukee, along with Megger testers for assessing insulation resistance. On social media, a woman said the losses ran into 'thousands and thousands of pounds'.
She fumed: 'These are people who know what they are doing. They drilled holes into the lock to gain access. This is the lads' livelihoods. They work hard and don't deserve this.
'The cost and implications of repairing the van alone is awful. What is wrong with people? Disgusting.'
Wrexham Golf Club said it was horrified by the raids, which took place at a tree-lined car park next to the clubhouse on what was a busy competition day.
A spokesperson said: 'It's very disappointing - we're all in a state of shock about what happened. This is the last place you would expect something like this to happen.
'We have CCTV and the police have taken what they need. They've been very helpful and their enquiries are ongoing. The course was very busy at the time - a competition was being held and there were a lot of people here.
'We've done our best to warn everyone. We've also contacted other golf clubs not yet targeted so they can contact their tradespeople.' Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
North Wales Police said its officers are investigating the thefts of 'several tools of high value' from four vans parked up at the two golf clubs early on Saturday afternoon, May 31.
A spokesperson said: 'Investigations into these incidents are ongoing. We would appeal for anyone who witnessed suspicious activity at these locations, or who may have any CCTV or dashcam footage of the golf club car parks over the weekend, to contact the police.'
Reports can be made by calling 101 or via the force's online chat service. For the Llangollen theft, callers should quote reference 25000447612. For the Wrexham thefts, the reference is 25000447199.
North Wales Police has published crime prevention advice for securing vehicles whilst not in use. This can be found here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
STV News
3 hours ago
- STV News
Man allegedly murdered boy, 14, with sword in ‘brutal string of attacks'
Marcus Arduini Monzo denies murdering Daniel Anjorin, 14, in Hainault, north-east London, on April 30 last year, as ITV News' Ian Woods reports A man allegedly murdered a 14-year-old boy with a Samurai sword in a 'brutal string of attacks' that were indiscriminate, a court has heard. Marcus Arduini Monzo, 37, is on trial charged with murdering Daniel Anjorin during a 20-minute spate of attacks in Hainault, north-east London, on April 30 last year. He denies the charge as well as four counts of attempted murder. Marcus Aurelio Arduini Monzo appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court for a previous hearing. / Credit: Elizabeth Cook/PA None of the victims were known to Monzo and 'it did not matter who they were or indeed how old they were,' prosecutor Tom Little KC told the Old Bailey on Wednesday. He told jurors they may conclude 'there can be little doubt that the defendant was intending to kill as many people as he could that day and that he is therefore just as guilty of the four charges of attempted murder as he is the charge of murder' Prior to the incident, Monzo had skinned and deboned his own cat, the prosecutor said. . It is alleged the first attack was when Monzo drove his grey Ford Transit van at speed into Donato Iwule. The pedestrian was knocked into a nearby garden on Laing Close and the vehicle smashed a concrete pillar and fence, the court heard. The defendant then got out of his vehicle and struck Mr Iwule in the neck with the sword, jurors were told. Footage played to the court appeared to feature Mr Iwule wailing and later running away after the alleged murder attempt that started at 6.51am. Mr Little told jurors: 'If he had not managed to escape it seems inevitable that he too would have been killed.' The defendant then re-entered the badly damaged van and drove a short distance down Laing Close, the court heard. A police officer laying flowers on the corner of Laing Close. / Credit: Yui Mok/PA Daniel was wearing headphones and school sports clothes when he left home for school at 7am and was 'slain' by Monzo, Mr Little claimed. Emergency services were called and police and paramedics arrived 'at the point and just after' the alleged attack. Pc Yasmin Mechem-Whitfield pursued the armed defendant through a series of alleyways through residential properties, the court heard. Monzo struck her three times with the sword that had a 60cm blade, the prosecutor said. She sustained 'significant injuries' that could have 'easily' killed her, he added. Monzo is accused of then entering a nearby house through a backdoor and walking upstairs into a sleeping couple's bedroom and attacking them. Floral tributes at the end of Laing Close near the scene in Hainault. / Credit: Lucy North/PA Their daughter was sleeping in a bed next to theirs and Mr Little said: 'They were spared only because in fact the four-year-old child woke up and started to cry.' The defendant shouted to the couple on a number occasions, 'do you believe in god?' before leaving the property through the front door, the court heard. Police had been following the defendant and he was backed into a nearby garage area near to the other alleged attacks, the court heard. He is accused of then striking Inspector Moloy Campbell once with the sword before attempting to escape police. The defendant is said to have climbed on top a garage but he was eventually disarmed and arrested. Monzo denies Daniel's murder, and has pleaded not guilty to the attempted murders of Donato Iwule, Sindy Arias, Henry De Los Rios Polania and Pc Yasmin Margaret Mechem-Whitfield, as well as wounding Inspector Moloy Campbell with intent. He also denies aggravated burglary and possession of a bladed article relating to a kitchen knife. Monzo previously admitted two counts of having an offensive weapon, namely two swords. Jurors were told these were the alleged murder weapon, and a Katana sword with a 22cm blade that was discovered in his van and had no blood on it. Mr Little argued there is 'no issue in this trial as to who carried out this brutal string of attacks and what the defendant did on that fateful early morning'. He said Monzo had been under the influence of cannabis, and that: 'We say that the defendant's conduct was brought about by self-induced intoxication in the form of drugs. 'We say this led to a psychotic disorder but not one meeting the requirements to make out the partial defence to murder of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Metro
4 hours ago
- Metro
Man Utd appoint new director of football in shake-up of Old Trafford hierarchy
Jason Wilcox has been promoted to Manchester United's director of football, as Dave Brailsford steps aside from his day-to-day role at the club. Wilcox had held the role of technical director since arriving from Southampton in April 2024. The three-cap England international is now alongside chief executive Omar Berrada in leading the football operations at Old Trafford. Brailsford has been a key figure in Jim Ratcliffe's team since the billionaire bought a minority stake in Manchester United in December 2023. The 61-year-old remains on the board at Old Trafford and will still work in an advisory role, but his focus will now be on other INEOS endeavours. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you. His attention will now turn to cycling team INEOS Grenadiers and Ligue 1 club Nice, from his base in Monaco. Wilcox had already stepped into the role of sporting director after the dismissal of Dan Ashworth in December. Ratcliffe previously talked up Wilcox's ability to spot talent, while also encouraging an increased use of data to establish transfer targets at Manchester United. 'Jason, for me, is a guy at the coal face. He ran the academy at Manchester City. Txiki Begiristain, I know, thought Jason had the best eyes in the club,' Ratcliffe told The Times. 'Jason knows what's working, what's not working in terms of how Ruben's playing, his system, which players he's picking, which players we are going to buy in the future. And Jason's got views on all of those things. And when I listen to Jason speak, I get what he's saying. 'But what he can't do is watch every match. And that's what the computer does. The computer can watch every match that every player has played in every league for every year they've ever played football. So you have to marry the two pieces of data and then it tells you something. And that's what Brighton and Brentford have done.' 'And also it's then much easier to spot the younger talent because the computer does that. Jason can tell you every good 21-year-old, but not every good 16-year-old.' There is plenty of work for the Manchester United hierarchy to do this summer in a huge transfer window for the club. After a disastrous season which saw the Red Devils finish 15th and fail to win any silverware, a significant revamp of the squad is required. More Trending Matheus Cunha has already been signed from Wolves and now Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo is being targeted. It's understood United began talks with Brentford to discuss a move for Mbeumo last week, with the Cameroon international said to be eager to push through a switch to Old Trafford. According to The Athletic, United's opening offer of £45m – plus £10m in add-ons – is some way short of the fee Brentford are demanding for their top goalscorer. It's understood the Bees are holding out for a sum closer to £60m from United and discussions are ongoing between the two clubs.
North Wales Chronicle
21 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Man allegedly murdered boy, 14, with sword in ‘brutal string of attacks'
Marcus Arduini Monzo, 37, is on trial charged with murdering Daniel Anjorin during a 20-minute spate of attacks in Hainault, north-east London, on April 30 last year. He denies the charge as well as four counts of attempted murder. None of the victims were known to Monzo and 'it did not matter who they were or indeed how old they were', prosecutor Tom Little KC told the Old Bailey on Wednesday. He told jurors that they may conclude 'there can be little doubt that the defendant was intending to kill as many people as he could that day and that he is therefore just as guilty of the four charges of attempted murder as he is the charge of murder'. Prior to the incident, Monzo had skinned and deboned his own cat, the prosecutor said. It is alleged that the first attack was when Monzo drove his grey Ford Transit van at speed into Donato Iwule. The pedestrian was 'catapulted some distance' into a nearby garden on Laing Close and the vehicle smashed a concrete pillar and fence, the court heard. The defendant then exited his vehicle and struck Mr Iwule in the neck with the sword, jurors were told. Footage played to the court appeared to feature Mr Iwule wailing and later running away after the alleged murder attempt that started at 6.51am. Mr Little told jurors: 'If he had not managed to escape it seems inevitable that he too would have been killed.' The defendant then re-entered the badly damaged van and drove a short distance down Laing Close, the court heard. Daniel was wearing headphones and school sports clothes when he left home for school at 7am and was 'slain' by Monzo, Mr Little claimed. The schoolboy sustained a 'devastating and unsurvivable chopping injury to the left hand side of his face and neck' from the sword, the prosecutor added. Mr Little described the wound as 'essentially a near-decapitation'. Emergency services were called and police and paramedics arrived 'at the point and just after' the alleged attack. Pc Yasmin Mechem-Whitfield pursued the armed defendant through a series of alleyways through residential properties, the court heard. Monzo struck her three times with the sword that had a 60cm blade using 'extreme force', the prosecutor said. She sustained 'significant injuries' that could have 'easily' killed her, he added. Monzo is accused of then entering a nearby house through a backdoor and walking upstairs into a sleeping couple's bedroom and attacking them. Their daughter was sleeping in a bed next to theirs and Mr Little said: 'They were spared only because in fact the four-year-old child woke up and started to cry.' The defendant shouted to the couple on a number occasions, 'do you believe in god?' before leaving the property through the front door, the court heard. Police had been following the defendant and he was backed into a nearby garage area near to the other alleged attacks, the court heard. He is accused of then striking Inspector Moloy Campbell once with the sword before attempting to escape police. The defendant is said to have climbed on top a garage but he was eventually disarmed and arrested. During police interview he initially answered 'no comment', but later recalled having a large sword, the court heard. Monzo claimed his personality had switched and that 'something happened, like a game happening', Mr Little said. The defendant compared the events to the movie The Hunger Games and said 'part of my lifestyle is to heal… been through traumatic events in childhood'. He also told police that he had 'many personalities spread out' and that one of them is a 'professional assassin', the prosecution said. Monzo denies Daniel's murder, and has pleaded not guilty to the attempted murders of Donato Iwule, Sindy Arias, Henry De Los Rios Polania and Pc Yasmin Margaret Mechem-Whitfield, as well as wounding Inspector Moloy Campbell with intent. He also denies aggravated burglary and possession of a bladed article relating to a kitchen knife. That weapon was found in his van and had non-human blood on it which was linked to the killing of his cat, the court heard. Monzo previously admitted two counts of having an offensive weapon, namely two swords. Jurors were told these were the alleged murder weapon, and a Katana sword with a 22cm blade that was discovered in his van and had no blood on it. Mr Little argued there is 'no issue in this trial as to who carried out this brutal string of attacks and what the defendant did on that fateful early morning'. He said Monzo had been under the influence of cannabis, and that: 'We say that the defendant's conduct was brought about by self-induced intoxication in the form of drugs. 'We say this led to a psychotic disorder but not one meeting the requirements to make out the partial defence to murder of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.'
