A FAMILY have spoken of their dramatic attempt to stop a gang of Range Rover thieves.

Chris Demetriou suffered a slashed arm attempting to stop the theft of his £85,000 Range Rover Sport before the gang smashed through the garden wall in the vehicle at his mother-in-law Mary Toussi’s house.

The family is now calling on Land Rover to take action after 13 of the models were stolen from Brighton and Hove in recent weeks.

They believe the crime gang are using scanners to override the vehicles’ keyless locking system.

The firm has denied there is a fault and say their security systems meet strict safety tests.

The family were alerted to the theft on Monday evening by the brake light of the Range Rover on the drive of Mrs Toussi’s house in Whitethorn Drive, Brighton, where her daughter Sara, son-in-law Chris and three young children are staying.

Looking out on the drive, they saw a man “bold as brass” trying to drive off with the Range Rover.

The family had parked two cars behind the Range Rover to prevent anyone from reversing the Range Rover out after they were warned by police it could be targeted by thieves.

Mr Demetriou rushed downstairs to confront the man, banging on his car window and shouting at him before punching through the driver window, slashing his arm and suffering a severe cut which later required eight stitches.

Undeterred, the thief drove forward and ploughed the Range Rover through a garden wall to make his escape.

The vehicle was dumped just a few hundred metres away in Wayland Avenue but the thief was not traced.

The family have been left frustrated that their car remains impounded awaiting forensic investigation three days after the incident with the buggy for their one-year-old child inside.

Mrs Toussi estimates that the cost of repairing the wall and installing security gates and CCTV will run into thousands while the extent of damage to the vehicle remains unclear.

A Sussex Police spokesman said: “The victim’s car is currently being forensically examined and it is hoped it will be released in the next couple of days. At this stage we do not know how the cars are being stolen. The cars are not being broken into and the victims' homes are not being burgled to get the keys to the cars.”

CROOKS MAYBE USING SCANNERS

THIEVES have managed to steal 13 Range Rovers in four months across Brighton and Hove without “breaking” into them.

Some victims believe that they are able to scan and imitate the keyless locking system of the vehicles, possible using equipment bought over the internet to reprogram the car’s electronic systems.

More than 1,000 were taken in 12 months in London and it seems, since the start of the new year, thieves are now targeting Brighton and Hove. 

The problem has become so severe that some insurers are refusing to give cover if cars are parked on public streets.

Victim Mary Toussi said: “They scan to get the key and then clone it, they can get in and just get off and this is the only type of car that is being targeted.

“Land Rover have to do something about this, they have a duty to their customers. I know of one customer who is already taking legal action against Land Rover because of the theft of their car.”

A Land Rover spokesman said: “There is no fault with Land Rover’s security systems and they continue to meet stringent automotive legislation. 

“This is an industry-wide issue, as European Block Exemption legislation forces all car makers to make available information about their diagnostic systems, including any security updates.

“In the UK, together with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, we are pressing for a change to the law.

“We have a dedicated engineering team continuously developing new technologies to try to stay one step ahead of criminal gangs.”