Man pleads guilty to theft of catalytic converter in Knaphill

A man has pleaded guilty to theft from a motor vehicle and going equipped to steal following an incident over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Gary Herridge, 30, of no fixed address, received a Community Order and was ordered to pay £400 in compensation to the vehicle owner when he appeared at Guildford Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (2 June).

A member of the public living in Highclere Road, Knaphill, called the police around 11.20pm last Monday (May 31), after they heard a drilling noise. Officers attended the scene and Herridge was arrested. A catalytic converter was found to have been partially removed from a vehicle with one end still connected.

Woking Borough Commander Inspector Dave Bentley, said: “We would like to thank the member of the public who called us when they spotted the signs of catalytic converter theft.

“Information from the public can prove vital in preventing catalytic converter thefts, which can take place in under a minute. If you see a car jacked up on its side or hear the sound of drilling then you could be witnessing a crime in progress. Please call us straightaway on 999. By working together with Surrey residents we can bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice."