Revealed: Faces of Birmingham car thieves that made £2m from dozens of burglaries across the city
Three men have been jailed for their roles in dozens of car-key burglaries across Birmingham.
Callum James, Jack Bardini, and Deche Luton-Howe were all sentenced on Thursday, February 12 at Birmingham Crown Court for a total of over 100 offences linked to car-key burglaries.
West Midlands Police's investigation found that the trio meticulously worked together to carry out the burglaries across Birmingham between August 2024 and April 2025.
James and Bardini would target properties to gain entry by lock snapping, stealing car keys and subsequently taking the cars. They specifically targeted cars of high value, with an estimated valuation of their crime spree totalling almost £2 million.
Investigators found that after stealing the cars, they would then apply fraudulent number plates to the stolen vehicles in order to avoid detection.
The group would then pose for photos with the stolen vehicles, and also filmed footage when driving erratically in the stolen cars.
A key part of the investigation found that James wore distinctive jackets when committing the burglaries, and this proved pivotal in piecing the evidence together. He was also found to have worn one hours prior to his arrest.
Following the investigation, all three were arrested between April and June last year, and were subsequently charged.
James pleaded guilty to 75 offences of conspiracy to commit burglary, conspiracy to steal a motor vehicle, and conspiracy to conceal criminal property.
Bardini pleaded guilty to 31 offences of conspiracy to commit burglary, conspiracy to steal a motor vehicle, and conspiracy to conceal criminal property.
Luton-Howe pleaded guilty to possession and control of articles for use in fraud, and making and supplying articles for fraud. These offences were in relation to the making of number plates that were applied to stolen vehicles.
James, 24, of Quinton Road West, was jailed for nine years. Bardini, 18, of Kelfield Avenue, was jailed for six years and nine months. Luton-Howe, 25, of Clunbury Road, was jailed for two years and three months.
PC Adam McWalter, from West Midlands Police's Serious and Organised Crime team, said: "The trio were meticulous in their individual roles in the crime spree.
"They carried out dozens of offences over an eight-month period, and so the investigation was lengthy. Piecing together every piece of evidence and footage was vital to the investigation and secured the charges and eventual guilty pleas.
"Thankfully, these three prolific offenders will now be spending a long time behind bars."
