Prolific thief who stole cars is jailed for two years

A PROLIFIC car thief who stole 12 vehicles in three months using a key cloning device has been jailed.

Mariujus Gruzinskas, 29, travelled across Cheshire and Greater Manchester using a ‘sophisticated method’ to unlock and take cars, police said.

Between August and November last year he stole vehicles in Macclesfield, Crewe, Chester, Warrington, and North- wich. The total value of cars stolen was at least £100,000, Cheshire Police said.

Chester Crown Court heard how Gruzinskas would use a device to gain access to cars before clon- ing the vehicle’s keys once inside the car.

Police eventually tracked him down and when they raided his address, officers found a number of car parts in the spare room and up to £400 in cash. Gruzinskas, of Claughton Avenue, Crewe, was jailed for two years after pleading guilty to conspiring to steal motor vehicles.

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. “Gruzinskas will begin paying for those crimes and the conclusion of this case means we have successfully taken a criminal off the streets of Cheshire.”