Christmas car criminals found guilty

2:40pm Thursday 7th August 2008

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A MAN and a woman from Worcester found in possession of walkie talkies a torch and wire, have been found guilty by magistrates of going equipped for theft.

Christopher Small and Julie Vella were caught by police in the early hours of Christmas Eve last year, with the items in Vella’s car near the Brooklyn Motors dealership in Cosgrove Close, Blackpole, Worcester.

The previous day a Vauxhall Corsa for sale at the site had been tampered with and its radio stolen.

Small, 18, of Goldsmith Road, Brickfields, and Vella, 29, of Walnut Avenue, Brickfields, appeared at Worcester Magistrates Court having both denied a charge of going equipped for theft.

But both were found guilty after a trial, during which magistrates heard from security guard Clive Arris.

Mr Arris told the court he had spotted a black Renault Clio drive down the road leading to the dealership and park up, but it drove off when a security guard arrived.

“That road leads to a dead end and I thought it was strange,” he said.

He later saw the car again and two figures with torches walking around near the Corsa.

Police were called and arrested three people, including Small and Vella.

Giving evidence PC Bob Nairn, who attended the scene with his police dog, said a wire found hidden down the seat of Vella’s car looked as if it had been adjusted to gain entry to a vehicle.

Vella told magistrates she had been asked by her friend Shaun Carr for a lift, and when she picked up him and Small, he asked her to drive down Cosgrove Close, but she did not know why.

She admitted driving down the road three times and that the articles were found in her car, but she said she knew nothing of the Corsa, why the wire was there, or helping with the theft.

“I would not have taken anyone there to do any kind of theft,” she said.

Carr, who is currently in prison, admitted he had broken into the Corsa earlier that day but said he had not told his two friends about it or his reasons for wanting to go down that road.

Small told magistrates he had gone along with friends but had not questioned why they had gone down the road.

Magistrates ordered a pre-sentence report on the pair, who are due to appear back in court on Wednesday, September 3 for sentencing.