A PAIR of Lithuanian car thieves have been jailed for their part in a conspiracy to steal high-value vehicles.
Aurimas Kucinskas, 27, of Jenkins Road, Plaistow, and Edmundas Jankys, 28, of Young Road, Newham, were sentenced to two years and four months and two years and six months respectively at Guildford Crown Court on Tuesday.
The pair were arrested after police found tools, number plates and a list of targets in the Ford Galaxy they were driving in Ashtead on May 1.
Judge Peter Moss said: "These offences are so serious they plainly cross the custody threshold. The offence is one of conspiracy committed at night to steal cars to order." Following their arrest police discovered the Ford had been spotted several times by automatic number plate technology at the Dartford crossing in convoy with stolen cars.
Judge Moss described Kucinskas as a "captain" and Jankys as a "lieutenant" in the plot to steal cars worth more than £10,000 each in Ashtead, Leatherhead and Guildford.
Kucinskas earlier admitted being involved in the theft of five cars, but Jessica Clarke, mitigating, said her client was a heroin addict and was only a pawn in the plot.
She said: "He was sleeping in cars and sofa surfing and he was desperate for money at the point this offer was made to him."
But Judge Moss said he did not believe the claim that he was only hired to drive the vehicles out of Surrey for £100 per car.
"I wasn't born yesterday Miss Clarke, even if you were," he said. "He was trusted not to reveal those who employed him, he knows who gave him the money.
"He was not trusted only with the details of the conspiracy but who joins the conspiracy and which vehicles to take."
Jankys pleaded guilty to stealing just one car on Monday as a trial was due to start. His barrister Alan Walmsley said he only become involved when asked to help by the other defendant.
But Judge Moss rejected this claim questioning why he was in the car on the night of the arrest.
A third man charged with conspiracy to steal a motor vehicle along with the other defendants was released this week after the crown brought no evidence against him at trial.
