Reading Magistrates' Court: Newbury man jailed for vehicle offences after spate of thefts from cars

A Newbury man has been jailed for a spate of thefts from vehicles around the town earlier this month.

Yesterday (Monday) at Reading Magistrates’ Court, Colin Black, 29, of Oakley Road, was sentenced to 40 weeks’ imprisonment.

At the same hearing, he pleaded guilty to five counts of vehicle interference, three counts of theft from a motor vehicle and two counts of fraud by false representation.

On November 5 this year, Black unsuccessfully attempted to gain access to vehicles in Victoria Grove and Stroud Green, before he then gained access to a vehicle in Victoria Grove and stole a first aid box.

The following day, November 6, he unsuccessfully attempted to gain access to a vehicle in Howard Road.

He was then successful in gaining access to a vehicle in Victoria Grove and stole a wallet and two pairs of glasses. Black used the one of the cards in the wallet to purchase food on two occasions; he failed to use the card a third time.

Later that evening, Black gained access to a vehicle on Brummel Road and stole a purse. In the early hours of November 7, he attempted to use one of the cards in the purse, but was unsuccessful.

Also on November 7, Black attempted to gain access to vehicles on Pelican Lane and York Road, but was unsuccessful.

Following an investigation by Thames Valley Police, he was arrested on Saturday (November 19) and charged the following day.

Investigating officer Sergeant John Heatley, based at Newbury police station, said: “I am very pleased with this result.

“We take acquisitive crime seriously and now that Colin Black is behind bars this is likely to prevent further offences across Newbury over the festive period.

“Once Black knew he had been identified, he attempted to evade capture by leaving the area to stay in a property in Birmingham. However, once we identified the address my team travelled to Birmingham to arrest him and bring him back to the Thames Valley to face the consequences for his actions.

“I would like to thank the officers and PCSOs from the Newbury Neighbourhood Policing Team for their hard work and also the public for their support in this investigation.”