Car thief jailed

A man who stole 12 cars across Cheshire and Greater Manchester has been sentenced to two years in prison. 

Mariujus Gruzinskas, 29, of Claughton Avenue, Crewe was sentenced today (Tuesday 28 August) after pleading guilty to conspiring to steal motor vehicles at Chester Crown Court on Thursday 15 March.

The court heard how between August 2017 and November 2017 Gruzinskas would use a device to gain access to cars before cloning the vehicles keys once inside the car.

Gruzinskas car stealing spree was spread across the county including Chester, Crewe, Warrington, Macclesfield and Northwich where he stole vehicles to the value of more than £100,000. On one occasion in November, Gruzinskas travelled to Manchester to steal a Volvo parked outside a house on Queenston Road.

When officers attended Gruzinskas address they found a number of car parts in the spare room and up to £400 in cash.

Detective Sergeant Nick Henderson, of Chester CID, said: “Gruzinskas is a brazen thief who carefully planned how to steal cars using a sophisticated method. After getting a taste for his crimes he continued to steal cars and travelled around the country believing he would never be detected. Today Gruzinskas will begin paying for those crimes and the conclusion of this case means we have successfully taken a criminal of the streets of Cheshire.”