Care Chief Sacked For Running Stolen Car Factory From Her Home

A social care boss in charge of finding children foster homes has been running a stolen car factory from her mansion. Jackie McIlhargey, 42, raked in a fortune by stripping the vehicles of their parts and selling them on.

Her bosses at leading care agency Fosterplus were horrified when her secret life was exposed and have sacked her. McIlhargey ran the racket with partner Anton Smith – one of Scotland’s most prolific car thieves. The pair operated from their £500,000 home called Ford Forge in the village of Plains, Lanarkshire.

The five-bedroom house boasts three public rooms and an oversized garage which was used to strip cars. Exclusive pictures show vehicles scattered around the grounds of the property, which is hidden from view and protected by two German Shepherd dogs. All that can be seen from the Main Street are imposing metal gates, while the back is inaccessible due to the North Calder Water.

McIlhargey, who has a daughter from a previous relationship, and Smith, 42, ran their illegal factory with military precision. Detectives believe high-value Porsches, Mercedes and BMWs were stolen to order before being stripped for parts and their Vehicle Identification Numbers destroyed. They were then shipped to Marbella and sold on to European gangs.

An associate of the couple said: “How many cars stolen from hardworking Scots ended up going through this place is anyone’s guess. It was a slick and professional operation which preyed on ordinary people.”

Smith is a regular at used car auctions across Scotland. He owns a string of flashy vehicles including a Ferrari, Porsche and a Harley Davidson motorbike. Smith’s and McIlhargey’s factory was first raided by police three years ago following an investigation into a gangland feud.

Notorious underworld figure Andrew Donaldson was at war with a gypsy family over a car. Smith was accused of supplying the crook with a vehicle then stealing it back and selling it on to the travellers.As a result of the raid and police investigation, the couple finally appeared in Airdrie Sheriff Court in June. They were charged with the reset of thousands of pounds worth of vehicle parts and were found guilty after a week-long trial.

Victim Audrey Mumford, 39, of Strathaven, Lanarkshire, said: “I was the owner of a Land Rover Discovery which was stolen from outsidemy house on July 17, 2004, and worth £28,000. I went to Helen Street police station in Glasgow after the frame of the car had been found. I recognised it as mine as there was a distinctive scratch on it.”

The couple were sentenced three weeks ago and Smith – who has similar previous convictions – was jailed for four years. McIlhargey dodged prison despite having previous convictions and was given 300 hours of community service. The Crown Office also hope to seize £500,000 worth of assets from them.

A Proceeds of Crime hearing is to take place next month and it is believed Ford Forge has been targeted for confiscation. It was bought by Smith for £230,000 in 2003 and was recently put up for sale before being removed from the market.

McIlhargey was sacked by Fosterplus two weeks ago. As a team manager at their office in Livingston, West Lothian, she worked with local authorities, foster parents, social workers and children looking for homes. They said: “She had been on sick leave for around nine months when we learned of her conviction. We were as surprised as anyone to hear about this and she was dismissed immediately. We regularly conduct enhanced disclosure checks on all our staff.”

McIlhargey also faces a probe by the Scottish Social Services Council. They said: “We will only comment on the outcome of formal SSSC hearings and not about reported complaints.”