Serial car thief locked up

Stuart Lowe began his crime spree in February when he knocked on the door of a Tettenhall man who had put 'for sale' sign in the window of his £9,000 Mercedes.

The 36-year-old, who was handed a 29-month jail term at Wolverhampton Crown Court, used the ruse of being a potential buyer and asked the owner's brother-in-law, who was in the house at the time, for a closer look.

The unsuspecting victim obliged and started the engine for Lowe, who then jumped in the driver's seat and sped away.

He struck again on March 12, this time arranging to meet the owner of a Porsche Boxter, who had put his car up for sale for £9,000 on Auto Trader.

Lowe used the pseudonym 'Steve' and called using a pay-as-you-go SIM card in a bid to avoid detection.

When he arranged to see the car at the victim's workplace in Bridgnorth Road he sat in the driver's seat with the engine running and asked for a test drive.

But as the seller moved some clothes from the passenger seat and took them into his shop, Lowe again sped away.

Detectives began to link the offences when Lowe, of Derby Avenue, Claregate, Wolverhampton, targeted a third unsuspecting seller on the afternoon of March 20 in Farm Road, Wolverhampton, stealing a £7,000 Audi A3.

Mr Howard Searle, prosecuting, said: "He has responded to personal adverts for victims to sell their vehicles.

"He has asked for a test drive or to sit in the vehicle to test the engine and then when the owner has been distracted he has then driven of in these vehicles."

Police inquiries led to him being named as a suspect and he was then picked out of an identity parade by all three victims and arrested.

In interview he admitted stealing all three cars for a 'joyride' but claims he never made any financial gain from selling them.

None of the vehicles have ever been recovered.

He pleaded guilty to eight counts of fraud and had previously admitted three vehicle thefts and one attempted theft.

The court heard he also posed as someone from a business he had no connection with to order thousands of pounds worth of goods from DIY shops.

In his fraudulent racket, Lowe targeted shops as far apart from one another as Telford, Kidderminster and Cannock in September last year.

He posed as an employee of Classic Contracts, a genuine firm in Aldridge, and ordered goods worth a total of £5,930, including copper piping and joint parts.

The court heard Lowe had 34 offences on his record dating back to 1998, including others for fraud by false representation.

Mr Ecky Tiwana, defending, said his client committed the offences to pay back £20,000 to a loan shark.

Judge John Wait said: "I accept from what I have read that you are a man who is capable and has worked in the past as an honest tradesman.

"I will accept your account that this particular series of offences rose out of financial difficulties."

Speaking after the case, Sergeant Matt Cooper, from Wolverhampton Police, said: "Lowe was an arrogant thief who was so cocky he made appointments to steal his cars. He deserves the lengthy sentence that's been handed to him.

"There are crooks out there who think nothing of taking other people's property but we're always on to them and we'll do everything in our power to lock them up and put them before the courts.

"Most people are of course genuine when they are buying or selling cars but this should serve as a reminder to be vigilant.

"You should never let the buyer go on a test drive on their own and don't leave them alone with the keys in the ignition.

"It's always a good idea to ask the person for proof of their identity and if you you're worried about your safety, don't meet people alone."