over to you sussexA CCTV camera caught a thief using a pickaxe to break into a taxi driver’s car while he popped in to his home for a quick cuppa during a busy Friday night shift.
Alexander Tekele only discovered his smashed car door when he answered a phone call for a ride and went back outside.
It was the second time his car had been targeted.
A couple of months ago the driver’s window was shattered, prompting him to install the camera on his house in Norfolk Close, Walcot.
And when he watched what it had captured he was stunned to discover the thief had two attempts at getting in the car – leaving the scene and returning minutes later with the axe - before he managed to force the door open and steal a smartphone that had been left inside.
The footage shows the man, dressed in a baseball cap and hoody, struggling frantically to lever the window open from the top and nervously glancing in the direction of the house.
He is then seen reaching into the vehicle and fumbling around.
At one point he climbs halfway through the window to reach something before hurriedly backing out and scurrying off into the night.
But even though he showed the video to police in the wake of the theft on November 3, Mr Tekele has been told they have exhausted their leads and the investigation is being closed.
The driver, who is working to support his four young children, said the incident had upset him deeply: “This is a big thing in my life. I cannot sleep now. I am so, so stressed.”
He was shocked when he realised the car was being broken into almost as soon as he had gone inside his home, making him wonder if he was being watched.
He also noted the thief took just three minutes when he went off to fetch the pickaxe, suggesting he could live nearby.
Mr Tekele alerted the police, desperate to share any information that would lead to the thief being caught.
I showed them the video and the police officer took a photo of it with his phone. They said they would send someone. But no one came.”
After waiting two weeks he received an email from the officer explaining the investigation was being closed.
Now he has decided to release the footage himself in a bid to solve the crime.
“I want lots of people to see it. Maybe someone will know,” he said.
His Ford Grand C-Max was off the road for over two weeks while it underwent repairs and he had to hire another taxi to carry on working so he could pay the bills.
He didn’t want to claim on his insurance because he would lose his no claims bonus and he faced a potential bill for more than £3,000.
A police spokesman said: “We did view the CCTV and circulated a still from it, however this brought us no results.
“We will always try and thoroughly investigate an incident like this – however in this case, having looked at all the evidence, it was closed as there are no further avenues of enquiry to pursue.”
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