The boss of a car clamping company that ruthlessly preyed on innocent motorists across the Black Country and Birmingham as part of a cruel scam to con them out of thousands of pounds was today behind bars.

Unlicensed Andrew Baker ran the notorious Inter Park UK that pocketed at least £12,000 from motorists by clamping and towing away cars in Walsall, Wolverhampton and Birmingham.

Drivers were “held to ransom” by clampers who pounced on cars soon after they had been parked.

The company, run by the 29-year-old, targeted cars across the region, including Summer Row in Wolverhampton, Hatherton Street in Walsall, Edwards Road, Birmingham and Woodbridge Road, Moseley.

The company did not own or have responsibility for some of the land it operated on, while at other sites obscure small signs were used that drivers could barely see.

Car owners would initially think their vehicles had been stolen after being towed only to find out they had to find in excess of £325 cash to have it released. The situation came to a head in late 2007 when Inter Park clamped and towed numerous Christmas shoppers at a site in New Canal Street, Birmingham.

Trading standards launched an investigation following 36 formal complaints from motorists. Almost  100 witness statements were also collected.

Baker was jailed for two years at Birmingham Crown Court yesterday after admitting conspiracy to defraud between March 2007 and 2008.

The father-of-one, of Pithall Road, Shard End, whose heavily pregnant wife was also in court, has a series of previous convictions for robbery, obtaining property by deception, burglary, harassment and theft.

His accomplices Gary Gwilliam, aged 54, off Mountbatten Road, Bentley, Walsall, and Mohammed Serrjul Islam, 47, of Denville Crescent, Bordesley Green, admitted one offence each of fraud. They were fined £500 each and ordered to pay compensation of £365 and £325 respectively.

Sentencing Baker Judge Phillip Parker QC said: “Your operation was a con in which motorists were deprived of their cars by clamping and towing away and they were held to ransom to pay cash and only cash to get them back.

“The victims in these cases felt they had been bullied, they felt they had been robbed.

“Motorists were inevitably left stranded not having the cash demanded on them. Some were in tears, some had children, some needed their cars for work or to pick up children.

“This to my mind is professional offending. A ruthless exploitation of vulnerable persons.”