'Vindictive' thief who stole vulnerable victims' cars by speeding off during test drives jailed

Dawood Hussain would comb the pages of the Shropshire Star looking for people selling their cars privately, book a test drive and then speed away as soon as he was in the car on his own.

Hussain's victims included a disabled man who was so distraught by the theft of his car he "lost all faith in humanity", leaving him suicidal and afraid to leave his home.

Cocaine addict Hussain, 46, committed his crimes whilst disqualified from driving, clocking up over £50,000 worth of stolen vehicles in two weeks this summer to fund his drug habit. His eye-watering criminal record stretches back to 1999 and includes 24 convictions for 64 offences including car theft, driving whilst disqualified and using fake number plates.

Prosecutor Colin Phillips told Wolverhampton Crown Court on Monday: "On May 27 this year, he phoned the owner after seeing the advert in the Shropshire Star. He arrived in a taxi in Telford, and asked if he could drive the car with the owner in the passenger seat. After a short distance, he said he did not know the area and could the owner drive home. As he got out of the car to change seats, he sped off, leaving the owner on the roadside."