A WOMAN paid to activate a tracking system in her Mercedes car after it was taken from outside her Huddersfield home and traced it to a unit where it had already been fitted with false number plates.
Leeds Crown Court heard the victim had gone to bed around 10.30pm on October 19 last year leaving her car parked outside the address in Mount Avenue.
Brian Outhwaite, prosecuting, told the court yesterday when she woke up at 6.30am she discovered the lock had been broken on the patio doors and intruders had taken the keys to her £45,000 Mercedes.
The car was no longer on the driveway and she reported the break-in to the police. Another door had also had the lock tampered with but the burglars had not succeeded in getting in through that.
Those responsible had clearly targeted the car because a wallet next to the keys had not been stolen, said Mr Outhwaite.
The car owner got in touch with Mercedes and paid £69 to have the tracker activated. She and her partner found that led to a unit in Canal Road, Armley, Leeds which was advertising BMW and Mini parts.
At the time they arrived on October 22 the unit was surrounded by a fence and a dog was patrolling inside. The police were contacted and when officers gained entry they found the Mercedes with false number plates on it and in a partly dismantled state.
Cameras were checked and that led police to another vehicle being driven in convoy with the Mercedes which led them to one man and his phone contact with others placed them in the vicinity of the burglary.
Nathan Stapleton, 22, of Back Dale Street, Shipley, and Anthony Joseph Davey, 25 of Kellymoor Walk, Bradford ,were each jailed for 32 months after admitting burglary and theft of the car.
Christopher Downes, 24, of Bolton Road, Bradford, admitted the same offences but was given 20 months in prison suspended for two years with 300 hours unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay £360 costs.
Ayesha Smart, for Downes, told the court he had given the others a lift to the burgled house and the next day had travelled in convoy to Armley to give them another lift after the car was left and regretted becoming involved in crime for the first time.
