Christian Warburton, 36, of Westminster Road, Bolton, has been jailed for one year and 11 months after pleading guilty to 19 offences at Bolton Crown Court on Monday (October 5). The charges included nine counts of theft of a motor vehicle, six counts of theft from a motor vehicle, two counts of fraud, one count of dangerous driving and one count of driving whilst disqualified.
Spate of thefts in Halliwell and Smithills
Police launched an investigation following a series of thefts from vehicles in the Halliwell and Smithills areas in May and June this year. CCTV enquiries identified Warburton as the suspect. One piece of footage showed him walking onto a driveway, trying a car door, gaining entry and driving the vehicle away.
Greater Manchester Police said Warburton got inside a number of unlocked cars during the spate of thefts and stole items including cash, bank cards and clothing. In another incident, he took food, drink and camping equipment from a car packed ready for a festival. Two cars were stolen from driveways in Smithills.
Arrest and bodycam footage
Warburton was subsequently arrested, with police bodycam footage showing him hiding in what appeared to be a walk-in cupboard as officers entered a property. An officer is heard saying: "We can see you, hide and seek is up, get yourself out."
Sergeant Zach Keneally, of GMP's Bolton Neighbourhood Team, said: "Warburton was an opportunistic offender – he tried to get into people's cars and was sometimes unable to do so due, he would then commit fraud offences by using bank cards that had been stolen from cars."
Police advice and appeal
Sergeant Keneally added: "We are committed to doing all we can to tackle this type of criminality. Crime prevention advice can be found on our website - Prevent theft from a vehicle | Crime Prevention | Greater Manchester Police. Results such as these are not possible without the information and intelligence we receive from the public. If you have information about vehicle crime in your area, please don’t hesitate to contact us."
Members of the public can contact GMP on 101 or via the 'Live Chat' function on the force's website. Alternatively, the independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.
