Jailed: Man, 36, who stole two cars in Wombourne and Lichfield identified through DNA left in vehicle
A man who stole two cars in Lichfield and Wombourne has been jailed for more than a year after his DNA was found inside one of the vehicles.
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Lee Cotterill of HMP Stoke Heath, took a Land Rover and a Fiat Abarth in June 2022.
The 36-year-old committed the first theft in Wombourne, which was discovered when the victim woke up and realised her Land Rover was gone. It was found later the same day in the Wolverhampton area.
Staffordshire Police carried out a forensic examination and found DNA inside the Land Rover that matched Cotterill.
A second theft happened when Cotterill took a Fiat Abarth off the driveway of a home in Lichfield. It was recovered the next day after being abandoned in Wolverhampton.
In the early hours of June 22, 2022, officers spotted Cotterill driving a Transit van in Wolverhampton and arrested him.
He was charged with two counts of theft of a motor vehicle and sent to court. He pleaded guilty to the offences at an earlier hearing on January 24, 2024 and was sentenced to 16-months behind bars on March 28, 2024 at Stafford Crown Court.
He was recalled to prison when he was arrested for other unspecified incidents and will serve a separate sentence.
Detective Inspector David Rowlands, who oversees vehicle theft cases, said: "Targeting offenders and finding new ways of protecting the belongings of our communities is a priority for all ten local policing teams in Staffordshire.
"Since we launched our clampdown on vehicle theft, we’ve arrested more than 120 suspected thieves and charged more than 50 with offences.
"We want to continue working proactively to target those responsible, which means working closely with neighbouring police forces, patrolling hotspots and using covert and overt tactics to catch criminals red-handed."
