Tamworth man jailed for conspiring to steal motor vehicles

A Tamworth man has been jailed for three years for conspiring to steal motor vehicles in Staffordshire.

Jamie Jones, aged 29, of Sunset Close, was sentenced to three years in prison at Stafford Crown Court on Friday (12 March).

He stole a blue Ford Kuga from Caterbanck Way in Lichfield on 7 January at about 1.40am.

Police spotted the Kuga at about 2.53am and followed the vehicle for roughly seven minutes where it drove the wrong way up the A5 dual carriageway. They later found the vehicle discarded on George Avenue in Tamworth.

Intelligence including cell site data regarding his mobile phone, forensic evidence and witness accounts led to Jones being linked to four keyless car thefts and one attempted keyless car theft across Lichfield, Tamworth, Rugeley and Solihull between 26 December 2020 and 7 January of this year.

The first was between 30 and 31 December 2020 at about 9.30pm on Wensleydale in Tamworth where a red Ford Fiesta ST was stolen. The second occurred on 2 January some time after 1.30am. This time, a Ford Fiesta ST was taken from Juniper in Tamworth. Between 3 and 4 January a Volkswagen Golf was tampered with but not taken on Reindeer Road in Tamworth. And between the same dates a white Ford S-Max was stolen from Wharton Avenue in Solihull which was picked up by Staffordshire Police officers acting suspiciously. Then came the incident in Caterbanck Way.

He was arrested on February 2 and then charged with conspiracy to steal motor vehicles between these dates.

DC Grant Dixon of Staffordshire Police CID said: “We are pleased that somebody who was causing grief for vehicle owners across the county is now off the streets and behind bars. We hope that this sentence will act as a deterrent to others thinking of carrying out similar crimes.

“The conviction comes after hard work and collaboration between our intelligence officers and we will continue to work pro-actively to disrupt criminal activity within our communities.

“We would like to reiterate the need for keyless entry car owners to ensure their vehicles are locked at all times when not in use and to consider using Faraday bags to hold their keys to prevent cloning, and maybe use steering locks on their vehicles.

“And of course, please report all suspicious activity you notice in your communities and places of work.”