A 35-year-old man insisted that he did not need the registration certificate for the cars he 'bought' because the owners had received the money. That's how he stole 18 cars.
A 35-year-old man who lives in Borlänge, Sweden, managed to steal a total of 18 cars over a period of 18 months.
The cars, which he got hold of without paying, originate from Germany, the Netherlands and Poland, among others. When the man was arrested, he denied knowing anything about the thefts. He instead defended himself by saying that he had bought the cars in cash.
That's what Borlänge Tidning writes.
Specifically, the 35-year-old, who is otherwise already deeply in debt, agreed to trawl through e.g. Facebook Marketplace and several car portals for sale ads. Cars that the man found interesting, he personally received to pretend to buy.
When the parties agreed on a price, the 35-year-old manipulated himself into a bank transfer of the agreed amount. He continued like this for 10 months until he was arrested.
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To gain just a little credibility, the man claimed that he didn't need the registration certificate, because the seller could see that the money had gone in. But the money never came.
The 35-year-old fraudster had, however, 'for his own safety' taken pictures of both the registration certificate and the real owner's choir card. That's what he did every time.
– The cars may have been sold on. And then it is difficult to prove whether the purchase was made in bad or good faith. In addition, many cars disappeared abroad.
– Among other things, he was caught by a speed camera in Germany when he shorted one of the cars, says the case's prosecutor Jimmy Skogström to Borlänge Tidning.
However, some of the cars have been found again. Among other things, a Porsche Cayenne Turbo was found in the Netherlands, while a Toyota Auris, which the 35-year-old had also stolen, was found in Poland.
In court, the judge did not believe much of what the 35-year-old explained. Therefore, the car thief was also sentenced to one year and three months behind bars. In addition, he must pay almost 1.2 million Danish kroner in compensation to the car owners he defrauded.
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