Father jailed for his part in £20k Midland car thefts
A?criminal gang stole 10 cars worth £20,000 from homes across the Midlands in a seven week crime spree, a court heard.
Today father of three Joseph Holmes was waking up in jail for conspiracy to steal after being sentenced for his part in the string of thefts to settle a drug debt.
Holmes, a 31-year-old with no previous convictions, was 'pressurised' into helping to steal 4X4s, people carriers and vans between September and October 2012, the court was told.
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard that the total value of the vehicles taken was around £20,000.
Mr Mark Philips, prosecuting, said victims were left stranded and unable to go out to work as many of the vehicles taken contained tools.
He said: "The vehicles in question were all of a similar type. They were people carriers, vans and 4X4s.
"None were of particularly high financial value but some were for commercial use and many were used for work."
The spree started on September 9 when a van was taken from Station Road in Great Wyrley. On the same night a Toyota people carrier was taken from the driveway of a house in Bentley, Walsall.
Vehicles were then targeted weeks later outside Hawthorne Primary School in Kingstanding, Birmingham. Days later a 4X4 containing £1,500 worth of tools was taken from Cedar Avenue in Brownhills.
On October 15 a people carrier was taken from Bescot Road, Pleck, Walsall. There were then thefts in Cheslyn Hay, Great Barr and Essington between October 18 and 29.
Mr Philips told the court that Holmes was picked up by police after his own vehicle was traced through the automatic number plate recognition system. He is the only member of the gang, to this date, that has been traced.
Mr Austen Bannister, defending, said Holmes was no professional car thief.
He said: "At the age of 30 he had no previous convictions. His version of events is that he was pressurised into carrying out these thefts."
Holmes of Sidcup Road, Kingstanding, Birmingham pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal. His guilty plea was on the basis it was done to settle a debt and that he had no knowledge of where the cars went when stolen.
Judge Michael Dudley jailed Holmes for 16 months.
