Traveller Jailed Over High-End Car Theft Ring

A traveller who orchestrated a large-scale operation to steal high-end vehicles from a caravan site has been sentenced to more than three years in prison. His accomplice received a suspended sentence.

Thomas Ward, 36, of Southwark, London, was responsible for stealing 16 vehicles within a single month by cloning car keys. The court heard that Ward, working with John Corcoran, 35, was involved in a conspiracy to steal luxury cars valued at £324,000 between November 9 and December 4, 2023, in Southwark, South London.

Corcoran was apprehended while on bail for the offense. Authorities found him with an angle grinder, power tools, and a "vehicle theft emulator," a device used to clone car keys, disguised as a power bank. He later pleaded guilty to possession of an article for use in fraud, being equipped for theft, and altering a registration mark.

The Old Bailey was informed that the pair would steal luxury vehicles and transport them to a traveller site. There, they would replace the original registration plates and markings with cloned ones before preparing the vehicles for resale.

Judge Recorder Joanne Cecil KC described the operation as a "sustained and organised conspiracy to steal high-value vehicles." She noted that the stolen vehicles had a combined value of £324,000 and involved the "replacing of registration plates and markings, and the onward sale of those vehicles."

Ward, who appeared via video link from HMP Thameside, has a history of criminal activity, having spent 13 years in prison. The judge remarked that his sentences were likely to become progressively longer. He was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.

Corcoran received a two-year sentence, suspended for two years. He was also ordered to complete rehabilitation requirements and 300 hours of unpaid community work. The judge stated that suspending Corcoran's sentence was a decision made "on balance" and warned that future breaches of the conditions would likely result in imprisonment.

Ward admitted to conspiracy to steal. Corcoran pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal, going equipped for theft, possession of an article for use in fraud, and alteration of a registration mark.