A car thief who stole a Saudi sheikh’s luxury Rolls-Royce worth £97,000 has been jailed for more than four years.
Mohammed Humza, 25, filled out a DVLA V62 form claiming he was the new owner of Sheikh Mohammed Alibrahim’s Phantom Coupe after after seeing it parked in Mayfair, London.
Prosecutor Margia Mostafa said Sheikh Mohammed Alibrahim’s chauffeur checked on the car “every couple of weeks” and on April 21 2015 noticed that it was missing.
The following day he reported it stolen.
The previous month, Humza had used his pregnant partner’s debit card to order a new set of keys from Rolls-Royce.
On April 21 2015, he had sold the car to Shaks Specialist Cars in Huddersfield for a £27,500 bank transfer, and a part exchange for a BMW 5 Series and a White Mercedes-Benz A Class.
Southwark Crown Court heard that after receiving a V62 form, the DVLA contacts the owner about the change of ownership, and if there is no reply, a new logbook is issued.
Ms Mostafa said that on April 18 2015, Humza was seen in an Audi driving to the Audley Street car park where the Rolls-Royce was parked, and then obtaining a ticket but not driving in.
She added that shortly afterwards the Rolls-Royce approached from the other direction but when it could not get out, the Audi reappeared and a new parking ticket was issued.
“The (Audi) driver takes a further ticket and enters the car park. The Rolls-Royce, with the defendant driving, goes through it before the barrier closes.”
Humza used the same scam to pose as the owner of a £75,000 Porsche 911 belonging to Nicholas Cattelian, a £127,000 Ferrari California belonging to Sara Duncan, and a £21,000 Aston Martin DB9 belonging to Jake Urich.
However, each of the owners responded to the DVLA to confirm they were still the registered keepers of their cars and Humza was unsuccessful.
Sentencing Humza to four years and two months’ imprisonment, Judge Martin Griffiths said: “You have been involved in what to my view is a professional and highly selective car theft business.
The car that was stolen was a Rolls-Royce, owned by what appears to be a wealthy gentleman who lives outside of the country.”
He added: “It must surely be something in the way of a salutary lesson to the DVLA. It shouldn’t really allow people to get new V5s on the strength of ‘I get can’t get hold of the registered keeper’.”
“This was a high culpability sophisticated fraud in which you played the leading role,” said Judge Griffiths.
Humza from Watford, Hertfordshire, pleaded guilty to one count of theft and five counts of fraud by false representation.
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