A MAN has been jailed after being caught driving stolen cars under fake license plates.
Robert Thompson, from Hove, was caught driving a £50,000 Range Rover Velar in January last year, which was under a fake number plate linked to another Range Rover Velar which had been stolen from Brighton.
The car was discovered to have been stolen from a West Drayton property in December 2020, and GPS data from Thompson’s phone linked it to the area at that time.
The 35-year-old was also caught driving a Range Rover Evoque – worth £13,500 – under fake number plates, which was stolen in Hove in August 2020.
He was arrested and released under investigation, but 12 months later a stolen Citroën Nemo van with fake license plates was found parked outside his house.
The police searched his property and found the keys to the Citroën and a quantity of cocaine.
Fingerprints and DNA evidence also linked him to a £12,000 BMW X3, which was stolen in Worthing in June 2020.
Robert Thompson, of Church Road in Hove
Thompson, of Church Road in Hove, pleaded guilty to three counts of receiving stolen property in connection with the two Range Rovers and the BMW and two counts of fraudulent use of false number plates on the Range Rover Velar and the Citroen Nemo.
At Lewes Crown Court he was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Half will be served under licence.
The investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Tom Duffy, said: ‘Robert Thompson is a professional criminal, experienced in using false number plates to conceal his crimes.
“These thefts were of considerable value and had a huge impact on its victims and the community as a whole.
“Receiving this custodial sentence for multiple offenses over multiple years is a testament to the teamwork that went into arresting Thompson and gathering the evidence of his crimes.
“I would like to thank the victims and everyone involved in the case for their help in bringing him to justice, and reaffirm our commitment to making Brighton and Hove a safe place for criminals.”
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Source: www.theargus.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-03-22 17:55:34
