A convicted thug who set up an illegal clamping firm that ticketed hundreds of motorists in Wolverhampton was today facing jail.

Clifton Hoffman often charged his 280 victims hundreds of pounds to get their cars back.

He produced tickets on his computer that were almost duplicates of official Wolverhampton City Council documents and used industry logos without permission.

Among Hoffman’s victims was Helen King, then a city councillor, who had stopped for just four minutes on private land where no signs were visible. She was forced to pay £125 to get her car back. One Wolves fan had to pay £450 to get his vehicle released after he was clamped in Foxes Street where he had parked trouble-free for five years.

Hoffman, aged 40, who has convictions for violence and possessing a firearm, set up Midland Parking Solutions via an internet application in May last year. He never had a licence and none of his operators were ever licenced to ticket or clamp vehicles, Wolverhampton Magistrates Court heard.

Initially, Hoffman’s enterprise merely involved handing out £60 tickets.

After a raft of complaints, Hoffman was told by Trading Standards that his operation was illegal but he ignored two written notices.

When police seized computer equipment from his home in October, he turned to clamping cars and entered into contracts with firms which allowed him to clamp vehicles on their land. But he put up signs that were too high or simply not visible.

Hoffman, of Riches House, Whitmore Reans, pleaded guilty to a total of 38 charges of fraud and aggressive practices.

Committing him to crown court for sentence on December 22, District Judge Michael Wheeler said: “You charged extortionate prices in a way that you were not entitled to do.”