'Car cannibals' jailed for stripping 98 vehicles

Two men who admitted stripping cars of their bumpers, bonnets and headlights across Birmingham in a two-year campaign of "car cannibalism" have been sentenced to more than four years in prison.

Mohammed Haydar, 23, of Fernhurst Road, and Mohammed Khan, 23, of Croxton Grove, were sentenced by Judge George Lubega after pleading guilty to conspiracy to steal from motor vehicles.

The men targeted parked cars, stripped them of bumpers, bonnets, headlights, mirrors and other parts, and sold them on.

There were a total of 98 incidents from December 2022 to October 2024.

The pair also filmed and photographed themselves during the thefts, posting images on social media showing them posing with stolen car parts and boasting about the offences.

Birmingham Crown Court heard the value of the thefts was about £500,000.

The judge said that although Haydar had only accepted involvement in thefts totalling £66,000, the court would take into account the conspiracy as a whole, as he had been a "leading player in the conspiracy".

Judge Lubega described the offending as "stealing on an industrial scale".

The judge said both defendants had continued offending while on bail, despite having been arrested on multiple occasions. He said Khan had been arrested 11 times and Haydar seven times during the investigation.

The men had been "determined to continue the conspiracy even when the game was up", Judge Lubega added.

He concluded that only a custodial sentence was justified, sentencing both Khan and Haydar to 51 months in prison.

The time they already spent in custody and some of the time spent on curfew will be deducted from the sentence.

Miss Pinch, prosecuting, said that the defendants were equal participants in the conspiracy and that CCTV, automatic number plate recognition data and cell site analysis identified both defendants.

She said stolen car parts were later sold on social media.

The court heard that Khan was arrested first, with Mr Koona, Haydar's defence counsel, adding that Haydar had not been charged until about 15 months after Khan.

Pinch added that the offending had caused significant inconvenience and cost to victims, with nine people providing personal statements to the court.

The judge said one victim described how their insurance claim had caused stress and affected their credit score.

Another said she was on maternity leave at the time of the theft and could not afford to pay car hire costs as a result of the incident.

Judge Lubega said that a number of vehicles had been written off with victims left to pay insurance excesses.

He said this showed the "real-world impact of the conspiracy".

Both defendants were of previous good character, the court heard.

Judge Lubega said that both defendants had shown remorse.

Mitigating, Koona said Haydar had been between 20 and 21 at the time and had no previous convictions. He said the offending had stopped after Haydar's marriage.

Khan's counsel, Mr Tiwana, said the defendant had expressed remorse in a letter to the court.

The court heard a letter from Khan's father, who praised his son's academic and football skills. He added that he "can't believe" his son had become involved in persistent offending and that he was "more than the mistakes he has made".

West Midlands Police previously said the investigation was launched after numerous motorists, including Birmingham City FC supporters parked near the club's stadium on matchdays, returned to find their vehicles stripped. Detectives analysed hundreds of hours of CCTV before identifying and arresting the pair.

Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.