Petty thief sacked from car dealership returned to steal four cars

An employee of a used car dealership in north east England who had been sacked for petty thieving returned at night with two accomplices and stole four cars.

During the course of the night vehicles worth almost £20,000 were stolen from Budget Car Centre in Stockton by Lee Scott and his pals, who burgled the office for keys and then drove each car away before getting a taxi back to the dealership to steal the next one.

CCTV cameras on a neighbouring business picked up Scott's raids, which started at around 11pm and ended as he drove the fourth car away at around 7.30am.

Scott's footprints were also found in the office by crime scene investigators, Teeside Crown Court was told last week.

The value of the cars and damage done to the office was around £20,000, the court was told.

Prosecutor Chris Baker noted that the cars had all been recovered since the theft, which took place in October 2022, although one had been in a crash, reports StocktonLive.

Baker said the offender had been employed by the dealership but had been "sacked some years ago because of some petty thefts", and prior to the night raid 38-year-old Scott had got into heavy drug use after his mother had died.

Scott, of Middlesbrough, admitted burglary and theft. Judge Nathan Adams sentenced him to nine months imprisonment, stating that his crimes had not been "overly sophisticated".