Two men sentenced for conspiracy to steal vehicles

Two men have been sentenced after pleading guilty to conspiracy to steal vehicles following the theft of a Range Rover from a residential address in West Byfleet last year.

Toby Lucas, 25, of no fixed address, and Andrew Pellet, 41, of Walton Road, West Molesey, were arrested on Sunday, 14 February 2021 after officers were called to a residential address in West Byfleet following reports of a car theft.

Enquiries led to both men being stopped in a vehicle on Hersham Road in Walton-on-Thames. Pellet was driving with Lucas sitting in the passenger seat. Lucas ran from the car and was pursued on foot by PC Lloyd Atkins. He was subsequently detained and searched, where items linked to the offence were found in his possession.

Following further investigation, including downloading data from mobile phones belonging to the pair, they were charged on Tuesday, 16 February with conspiracy to steal a motor vehicle. Evidence was gathered to suggest the pair had been planning to steal more vehicles in the area.

The two men appeared at Guildford Crown Court last Thursday (1 July), where Lucas was sentenced to 24 months in prison. Pellet received an 18-month suspended sentence.

Surrey Police are dedicated to tackling vehicle related crime such as keyless car thefts in the county. Advice around how to prevent keyless car thefts can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXao5FN-mHM