One couple told how a prolific thief broke into their car, ravaged it, and made it look like a “murder scene”.
Michael Flanagan aimed at the new Nissan Qashqai on October 6th when it was parked in the Central Mews car park on Corporation Road in central Middlesbrough.
The offense was one of twelve the 49-year-old recently appeared in court for.
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Anita Harvey, who owns the car, spoke about the impact Flanagan’s insult had on her and her partner, John Stone.
She said, “Every part of the car, except the hood, was damaged inside and out.
“He ransacked my car completely and it was covered in blood when he cut himself.
“The car had to be towed, it was so bad that the tow truck driver refused to get in.
“My partner had to put the car on the truck as the driver described it as the fucking scene of the murder.”
Michael Flanagan in 2016
(Image: Teesside Live)
She said the repair cost was just under £ 8,000 and the contents stolen from inside the vehicle were worth about £ 500.
But the effects are far more than just financial, she said.
“My car was my mobility car and I’ve been without a car for six weeks now,” she told Teesside Live.
“We were originally told the car would be written off, but now they have approved the repairs.”
Blood splattered the backseat
(Image: Anita Harvey)
Ms. Harvey, 47, who lives in Billingham, said she could never set foot in the car again.
“The amount of blood that was left in the car made me physically ill,” she added.
“I even went to Evans Halshaw and looked at a new Qashqai and collapsed in the middle of the showroom.
“I apologized to the seller for being embarrassed, but I had no control over it.
“The impact this has had on both my partner and me is terrible, I feel like my house has been broken into.
“I’m so dependent on my car and now I don’t have one and because of the availability of Covid and parts for new cars, I can only get a new one in February or March 2022.
“Mr. Flanagan has inflicted so much pain, injury and stress on me and my partner.
“Mr. Flanagan has completely robbed me of my independence, I now completely rely on my partner to drive me around and I only drive his car when I really have to.”
In addition to the car theft, Flanagan also admitted stealing pictures, a riding helmet, sunglasses, CDs and money in two separate incidents in July.
He also violated a conditional release order issued in June 2020 for attempted theft from a motor vehicle and theft of a wallet.
Flanagan, of Micklow Close, Redcar, pleaded guilty to the crime and was tried in Teesside Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
He received an 18-month collective decree with alcohol treatment and has to do 30 days of rehabilitation activity.
Flanagan has numerous convictions for theft. In 2016, Teesside Live reported breaking into a house, flooding it, and getting away with a television.
Footage showed the burglar, aged 44, pulling his wheelchair through a broken window in a house in central Stockton in August 2015.
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