Tagged thief in crime spree

A prolific burglar stole cars worth tens of thousands of pounds – despite being arrested and fitted with an electronic tag.

Paul Ferguson, from Wolverhampton, worked with a gang of 'car-key' raiders whose other members are still at large. He was jailed for four-and-a-half years after admitting a string of charges in court.

Among the cars taken were a £15,000 Audi from Seisdon, South Staffordshire, a BMW M3 worth £13,000 from Showell Lane, Lower Penn, Wolverhampton, and an MG ZR from an address in West Bromwich.

The 29-year-old was arrested in May for three of the thefts but went on to commit seven more after being released on bail after having an electronic tag fitted to his ankle, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard yesterday.

Ferguson, of Norbury Crescent, Bilston, pleaded guilty to 13 charges of burglary, handling stolen goods, theft and dangerous driving.

When arrested in May, police found pictures of stolen cars on his mobile phone, including a £10,000 Hyundai taken from a dealership in Wolverhampton two days earlier and the Audi stolen from Seisdon, later found abandoned at the Three Tuns pub, Stafford Road, Wolverhampton.

Ferguson had the keys to both cars and a Land Rover stolen that day from a Merry Hill dealership on him when he was taken in said Mr Martin Liddiard, prosecuting.

Within two weeks of being bailed on June 17, he embarked on a spree of thefts, using an Audi A3 he stole after burgling a house in Wills Avenue, Hateley Heath, West Bromwich, to raid the home of a dentist and her husband in Pattingham 12 hours later.

During the two break-ins Ferguson also stole £11,000 of electrical goods.

Sentencing him, Judge Michael Challinor said: "You were responsible for thousands of pounds in loss and damage as well as causing incovenience and upset to members of the public."