Man jailed for role in luxury car theft conspiracy

A man has been jailed for his role in a conspiracy which saw more than £650,000 worth of luxury cars stolen.

Hugh Bradley, also known as Hughie Bradley or Hughie Das, bought relay kits from contacts in Poland that allowed him to start cars without their keys, West Midlands Police said.

The cars would then be taken to different sites in Essex with the intention of sending them on to countries in Africa.

Bradley, 31, from Sutton Coldfield, was jailed for eight years and nine months after pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy to steal a motor vehicle and conspiracy to handle stolen goods.

He had been linked to a number of relay thefts in the West Midlands and had also helped to steal cars from across the country, police said.

Bradley, of Langley Heath Drive, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on 30 May, after being arrested and charged last November.

Bradley was spotted on CCTV in Essex and caught when he used his own car, a VW Golf, to drive in convoy with some of the stolen cars, the West Midlands force said.

Officers said Bradley had filmed himself carrying out reconnaissance of houses where luxury SUVs were parked, while messages showed he had paid £25,000 for one of the relay kits he bought from Poland.

Bradley used Snapchat to contact criminal associates and arrange onward sales of the cars, the force added.

The stolen cars were valued at £654,664, after an investigation was carried out with Essex Police and Hertfordshire Police.

Bradley was given a sentence of six years and nine months for one charge of conspiracy to handle stolen goods.

He was also sentenced to six years in total for two charges of conspiracy to steal a motor vehicle, four years of which will be served concurrently.

Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.