8:33 am, February 14, 2024
A man accused of breaking into two franchised car dealerships is to stand trial after he denied being involved.
Biondino Fappiano, 41, is said to have forced entry into Marshall Volkswagen Readingon January 15 of last year, before making off with tools belonging to the dealer.
The suspect, of Barton Road in Oxford, is also accused of two separate burglaries at Reading Lexus on October 2 of last year.
The incidents sparked an investigation by Thames Valley Police, who believed the two cases may have been linked.
Their inquiries eventually led to Fappiano, who has now appeared at Reading Crown Court, charged with three counts of burglary.
During a brief hearing, the defendant entered not guilty pleas to all three of the charges against him and the case will now head to trial.
The Reading Chronicle reports that he will be back in the dock in the last week of September.
The trial will not be the first case relating to car dealers to be heard at at Reading Crown Court, after fraudster Karl Yeboah was sentenced there last year.
Car Dealer reported in August how the conman stole a woman’s identity to try to secure a fraudulent loan for a BMW 5 Series from Sytner Sunningdale.
On that occasion, the 27-year-old pleaded guilty to fraud and possessing false identity documents with intent and was handed a 16-month jail term suspended for a year.
Main image: Reading Crown Court (PA)
