10:12 am, March 19, 2024
A burglar who stole thousands of pounds worth of items from a luxury car dealership has avoided jail.
Ashley Stringer swiped branded clothing, an electric bike and watches after enterring Porsche Centre Chester, in Ellesmere Port, last year
The goods had a collective value of around £11,000 and the 35-year-old pleaded guilty to theft during a previous court hearing.
He has now returned to Chester Crown Court where he was handed a 12-month community order, including 15 compulsory days of a rehabilitation activity.
The Chester Standard reports that the defendant, of Ailsa Avenue, Blackpool, must also complete 120 hours unpaid work and pay a £114 surcharge.
The incident occurred on February 19, 2023 with his sentencing hearing taking place earlier this month, on March 6.
The theft is not the first motor trade-related case that Chester Crown Court has had to deal with in recent times.
Just before Christmas, Car Dealer reported that a mother-of-three serial fraudster was jailed there after using stolen credit cards to buy used cars from a series of dealerships.
Charmaine McAllister, 37, notched up a staggering 220 offences during a 21-year criminal career, but was caught out when she bought used cars from dealers on credit cards and converted them into cash at others.
The law caught up with the con artist after she duped three car dealerships into selling her vehicles in a series of scams.
Featured image: Chester Crown Court (Peter Byrne/PA Wire/PA Images)
