Declan Donnelly targeted by ‘luxury car thieves’

Declan Donnelly

(Picture: PA)

Eight alleged car thieves have appeared in court accused of attempting to steal a luxury car belonging to I’m a Celebrity host Declan Donnelly.

The Saturday Night Takeaway star’s black Range Rover was allegedly targeted by a group of car thieves while it was parked outside his £5 million west London home.

Ellis Glynne, 29, Connor Murray, 21, Vinothkumar Ratnam, 37, Tommy Hutchinson and Alfie Chandler, both 18, Perry Ogle, 23, Charlie Kavanagh, 26, and Ryan Crafts, 28, have all now been charged with conspiracy to steal.

They are accused of attempting to steal Dec’s car in a five-month crime spree between January 16 and June 6 this year, getting away with luxury vehicles worth around £750,000.

Nine Range Rovers, a Land Rover Discovery, and a BMW M3 were allegedly among the haul of stolen vehicles.

“This is in relation to offences generally involving high-value vehicles”, said prosecutor Nicholas Dunham.

(PA)

It was reported in April how Dec, his wife Ali, and their young daughter Isla had been asleep at their seven-bedroom home when police were called out to reports of an attempted break-in.

The accused men appeared together at Kingston crown court on Friday to face the charges for the first time.

Crafts, of Wokingham, and Kavanagh, from Ashford in Surrey, both pleaded not guilty to the charge of conspiracy to steal, while the remaining defendants are due to enter pleas on September 1.

Glynne, Murray, Ogle, and Chandler are also accused of stealing 11 electric bikes from a shop – Velospeed Electric Bike in Yattendon near Reading – in June this year. Jack Foley, 24, of Egham, in Surrey, denied the charge.

Glynne and Murray face a separate conspiracy to burgle charge over an ATM theft from a minimarket between January 25 and February 7 last year. Neither entered pleas today.

Dec and his wife Ali were reportedly at home during the alleged raid (Adam Davy/PA)

Tyler Smallworth, 20, of Feltham, denied stealing a van with Connor Murray on January 26 last year.

Judge Sarah Plaschkes QC adjourned the case until September 1, and set a trial date of January 5 next year.

Kavanagh, Crafts, Foley, Smallworth, Hutchinson, of Feltham, Chandler, of Hounslow, Ratnam, of Egham in Surrey, Ogle, from Hounslow, were freed on bail until the next court hearing.

Glynne, of Camberley, and Murray, from Hounslow, have been remanded in custody.