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Bilston garage boss locked up over £420k stolen car racket

The owner of a Black Country vehicle repair business who helped in the 'disposal' of more than £420,000 of stolen cars has been locked up for three years and seven months.

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Recorder Mr Miles Watkins told 59-year-old Eamonn O'Malley it was clear he played an important role in what was a 'large organisation' getting rid of high-value motor cars.

He said only an immediate jail term was appropriate for O'Malley, who had previous convictions for handling stolen cars and conspiracy to handle stolen vehicles.

"There is no question you have been involved in criminality with motor vehicles for some time," he said at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

Mr Watkins said 22 vehicles of significant value were taken to the garage business in Oxford Street, Bilston, and the premises were used to strip down the cars before they were moved on.

It was a sophisticated set-up, said Mr Marc Davies prosecuting, and recently stolen cars were recovered when police followed a tracker device on a BMW to the home of O'Malley.

The replacement value of all the vehicles that passed through the operation was £422,000, added Mr Davies.

The owners of all the cars had been traced by police, the court was told.

O'Malley, of Ivy Road, Tipton, admitted 22 charges of handling stolen property with Mr Mukhtar Ubhi defending maintaining he had 'turned a blind eye' to what was going on in his yard.

He said O'Malley was being paid £500 a month for his yard to be used for the disposal of the stolen cars adding: "He did not drive them in, he did not work on them and he did not drive them out."

Mr Davies said that O'Malley had allowed his premises to be used for the disposal of the stolen vehicles and despite their high value he had received just the £500 on a monthly basis.

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