An opportunist car thief was caught on CCTV driving off in his victim’s car—and later at a petrol station where he used her bank card.
Lyam Repton, aged 44, was cycling along Cow Lane, Bramcote, when he spotted a blue Toyota Yaris parked on a driveway with its engine running shortly before midday on 1 August this year.
Repton, a disqualified driver with multiple previous convictions for theft, was arrested on 26 August when he was found behind the wheel of the same car.
Unbeknown to him, he had already been identified from CCTV footage as the person who stole the car earlier in the month.
A subsequent search of his home address unearthed receipts from purchases and withdrawals made in the hours following the theft.
One of those receipts placed him at a petrol station where £500 was withdrawn from the victim’s account—and where Repton was recorded wearing the same distinctive jacket he wore during the theft.
After initially declining to answer officers’ questions, Repton, of Chetwin Road, Bilborough, later pleaded guilty to theft, fraud by false representation, driving while disqualified, and driving without insurance.
He also admitted to stealing a bicycle on 1 June.
Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Wedensday 8 October, he was jailed for four months.
PC Samantha Gledhill, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“Repton is an opportunist thief who just happened to be cycling by when he spotted this car momentarily unattended.
“Without thinking of his victim or his own driving ban, he immediately abandoned the bike he was riding and drove away.
“His actions caused considerable upset to his victim who—in addition to having her car stolen—also had her bank account targeted.
“Thanks to the evidence we were able to gather, Repton had no option but to plead guilty to these offences, and is now beginning another richly deserved prison sentence.”
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