Petrol thief jailed for eight months
A drug addict in debt to dealers plundered petrol stations in Staffordshire for thousands of pounds of fuel before selling it on to taxi drivers, a judge heard.
Using false number plates and a large tank in the back of his car, Mudasar Iqbal, aged 32, of Walsall, targeted filling stations in the county and in Telford, filling up and driving off without payment. After a month of stealing a total of nearly £8,000 worth of fuel, he was caught after a police pursuit along the A5 near Cannock following a forecourt tip-off.
Mr Pat Sullivan, prosecuting, told Stafford Crown Court that on August 3 a cashier at Tesco's filling station, in Telford, recognised the defendant's vehicle.
Iqbal, of Old Birchills, was jailed for a total of eight months.
He admitted going equipped for theft, three charges of handling stolen goods, theft from motor vehicle and seven offences of making off without payment. A further 14 offences of making off without payment were taken into consideration.
He also admitted a separate charge of making false representations involving the cashing of a £5,000 cheque at The Money Shop, in Walsall. The cheque was from an insurance company, but after getting the cash, Iqbal reported the cheque as being stolen and a further £5,000 was transferred into his bank account.
Mr Oliver Woolhouse, defending, said: "It was purely acquisitive because he was in debt."
