Prolific car thief, 18, who stole vehicles across east Staffordshire locked up for more than three years

Callum Gaines, 18 and of Hilltop Avenue in Tamworth, was jailed for three and a half years at Stafford Crown Court on Thursday, August 7 after he admitted six counts of burglary, five counts of theft of a motor vehicle, one count of attempted burglary and one count of theft from a motor vehicle.

Officers and staff from Staffordshire Police worked to investigate Gaines’s offending and were able to link him to a significant number of burglaries in the area.

Gaines took seven vehicles across all of the burglaries, including a VW Tiguan, two Peugeots, a Renault Clio, Audi A6, Ford Fiesta and a VW T-Roc, and also took phones and laptops from one of the houses he burgled in Tamworth.

The total estimated value of the items he took is believed to be more than £100,000.

Staffordshire Police said officers gathered the evidence needed to charge Gaines on May 1, after which he was taken to court and admitted all of the charges.

He also agreed that a further 18 burglary offences would be taken into consideration.

DC Ben Tuckwell, from the Staffordshire Police criminal investigations department, worked on the case.

He said: “Gaines had a significant impact on local communities in Lichfield and Tamworth with his widespread offending.

“I’m pleased that we were able to gather all of the evidence needed to secure this result which has ultimately resulted in a prolific thief being locked up for a number of years.

"We’re continuing to take action against those responsible for burglary, theft and robbery as proactively as possible in Staffordshire."