Men jailed for car parts scam

5:59pm Friday 21st November 2008

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Three men were jailed yesterday for running a stolen cars racket selling parts on the internet.

Some of the cars that ended up in bits at a lock-up in Warrenby near Redcar had been stolen during house burglaries while their owners slept, Teesside Crown Court was told.

The trio behind the initially legitimate business which was raided by the police were too scared to name the thief from whom they were buying the vehicles, said prosecutor Tony Moore.

They admitted conspiracy to handle eight stolen cars including a £15,000 Mini convertible and an £11,400 Lexus.

Police found the engine of a stolen Mitsubishi installed in a similar model owned by one of the crooked partners Craig Stephens.

Most of the valuable parts were sold through eBay, and the rest were taken to scrapyards, added Mr Moore.

Stephens, 34, owned the garage business at Teal Court in Warrenby with Thomas Richardson,24, and Lee Ellis,28.

Richardson said that he would not name the man who delivered the cars, some of which he believed were stolen.

Linday Webster defending Stephens said that initially he had suspicions about the cheap cars that they were buying. But he allowed it to continue in a stupid attempt to pay off his growing debts.

Judge Tony Briggs said that there were a number of serious features about the operation.

The judge added: "A particulalry unpleasant feature of this conspiracy is the fact that quite obviously you encouraged others to steal property simply by being known to receive them, dismantle them and sell on the various pieces.

"Several of the vehicles were taken as a result of the properties of the owners being burgled when they were occupied. Unhappily this is a matter where the custodial threshold is passed."

Richardson, of Harwel Drive, Stockton, Stephens of St Stephen's Close, Stockton, and Ellis of Sunnyside Grove, Stockton, were all jailed for 12 months after they pleaded guilty to conspiracy to handle stolen vehicles between January and August last year.