'Vindictive' thief who stole vulnerable victims' cars by speeding off during test drives is jailed
A life-wrecking thief who drove away vulnerable car sellers' vehicles under the pretence of taking them for test drives, leaving them bereft and even suicidal, has been jailed.
Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Father of two Dawood Hussain, from Oldbury, would contact people selling their cars privately and then speed away as soon as he got the keys. He even left one owner in the middle of the road as they swapped seats, during a test drive.
Another of Hussain's victims was a disabled man who was so distraught by his car being stolen he "lost all faith in humanity" leaving him suicidal and afraid to leave his home.
Cocaine addict Hussain, 46, committed his crimes whilst being disqualified from driving clocking up over £50,000 worth of stolen vehicles in two weeks this summer to fund his drug habit. His eye-watering criminal record stretches back to 1999 and includes 24 convictions for 64 offences including car theft, driving whilst disqualified and using fake number plates.
Prosecuting Colin Phillips said: "In Stourbridge, he took keys from the owner and said he wanted to check the oil and could not do it on a slope. He then sped off.
"He phoned [another] owner after seeing the advert in the Shropshire Star. He arrived in a taxi in Telford, and asked if he could drive the car with the owner in the passenger seat. After a short distance, he said he did not know the area and could the owner drive home. As he got out of the car to change seats, he sped off, leaving the owner on the roadside."
