A couple woke up to find their Mercedes completely stripped bare by thieves - who took off the car's doors, wheels, seats and even nicked some sweets.
Paul Hampton and his partner Jacqui Heeley were woken up just before 5am yesterday (10 December) after a neighbour told them to 'take a look at their car'.
Fearing it may have been smashed up, Paul was shocked to find that it had been completely stripped down.
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The 2018 C-Class AMG had lost both its front doors, the bonnet and boot lid, its front seats and all four of its wheels, with the thieves leaving it propped up on bricks - to add insult to injury the thieves even helped themselves to some sweets that had been in the car.
Paul, from West Bromwich, said: "When I stepped outside the front door, I just couldn't believe what I was seeing. They hadn't damaged any panels, it's just been stripped bare.
"These are professionals and appear to work in teams of five or six to cut the time down.
"Each person has their own job. They didn't just cut the wires in the doors, they unclipped the connectors to avoid damaging it. They've left the remaining parts in perfect condition.
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"They didn't leave any fingerprints because they'd worn latex gloves and it probably didn't take them long to get everything off as they're not your average car thieves.
"We've spoken to some mechanic friends and they believe they wanted the bumper and lights because there's a sensor inside them which makes them worth £1,000.
"They must have been disturbed before that happened though because they only managed to get the registration plates off. More could have been taken.
"I normally have a cup of tea with my neighbour before going to work but this morning she'd woken up and rushed over.
"She'd seen the car boot arms sticking in the air and thought she was seeing things so when she came outside she said she had a heart attack.
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"I went to bed like normal at 10pm but obviously by 4.30am this had been done. It's because they're so efficient.
Paul and Jacqui have had the car since April 2018 on hire purchase and it was due to be worth £16,500 ($21,700) at the end of March 2021.
However, the damage done is worth at least £14,000 ($18,400), meaning the car is now a write-off.
Paul said: "This is my fifth Mercedes, I've had them for the last 15 years. I've never had anything like this happen before.
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"It almost puts me off getting another one. I'd be better just having a £500 banger on the drive for them to steal.
"I just want people to be aware this is happening. I could have done things like put the car around the back of the house but I think they'd have still done what they did.
"They didn't take the car, which would have been better for me probably. It's fitted with a tracker so we could have found it.
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"When you've never seen anything like this before, it really does come as a shock. Some people might not be able to take the shock that I saw yesterday morning.
"These people just don't care. They've got no feeling for anybody. Instead of getting a proper job like everyone else, they think it's quicker to steal.
"The worst thing is I've had to cancel jobs, which I've always hated doing. I was due to go to London but had to sort insurance instead.
"People didn't believe me when I told them why. I had to send them pictures to prove it."
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police told LADbible: "We were made aware of a Mercedes car being stripped of all its parts while parked on Marsh Lane in Hill Top, West Bromwich sometime between 7.30pm on Wednesday 9 December and 4.45am on Thursday 10 December.
"Anyone with information is asked to contact us via live chat at west-midlands.police.uk between 8am and midnight, or call 101 anytime.
"Crimestoppers can be called anonymously on 0800 555 111. Please quote crime reference 20SW/306001Y/20."
Featured Image Credit: Kennedy News and Media