Luxury Car Conman Jailed

A man has been jailed for 30 months for handling luxury stolen cars, following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

Imran Khan, of Grays, Essex, fraudulently acquired vehicle log books, before cloning legitimate vehicle identities onto stolen ones. He then sold the stolen cars on through advertising media, such as Autotrader.

In order to attract little scrutiny of the stolen vehicles once he had sold them, Khan ensured that the identities he used were of cars that had already been legitimately exported.

Most of the cars were high-value models such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Range Rover.

The victims of the burglaries where the cars were stolen from lived predominantly within London, although a small number were located in Essex and Hertfordshire.

Khan agreed prior to his sentencing that the value of the stolen cars, at the time of their theft, amounted to more than £337,000.

Khan, 27, had admitted two counts of handling stolen goods, relating to 18 stolen cars, at an earlier hearing at Southwark Crown Court on 21 January.

On Thursday, Khan was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment for one count of handling 17 stolen cars between 4 February 2007 and 24 September 2009, and two years for the handling of one stolen car on or before 12 September 2009.

The sentences are to run concurrently.

Sentencing, Justice Pitts said: "Khan played a key role in a highly professional conspiracy to steal high value motor vehicles to order. A significant number of cars were stolen in overnight residential burglaries."

(PR/BMcC)