A LORRY driver who travelled from Ipswich to steal prized car parts from a Swindon BMW dealership has been jailed.

Mircea-Costin Talabusi was part of a gang of three men who drove from the Suffolk town to the Dick Lovett dealership in Rushey Platt with the intention of pinching sought-after steering wheels, alloys and other items from the luxury cars.

They cut fencing and power lines to floodlights, stealing steering wheels from five cars, as well as two MTECH alloy wheels, car mats, a gear stick and a battery from a BMW 330 G30 car. The gang caused at least £32,000-worth of damage to the cars.

Two members of the gang managed to escape, but Talabusi was cornered by officers as he tried to flee back to his car. He was found with dark clothing and tools believed by officers to have been used in the theft.

Romanian man Talabusi, 28, of Broom Hill Road, Ipswich, was found guilty at Swindon Crown Court of theft, criminal damage and going equipped. The court heard he was a lorry driver and of previous good character.

Jailing him for 11 months, Judge Peter Crabtree OBE told Talabusi it was plain he had been part of a gang that had planned the theft and travelled a considerable distance to carry it out.

“Later on, you were caught when, fortuitously, officers were going up a track down which you were seeking to make your getaway back to your car,” he added.

He said the damage caused to the vehicles had been considerable: “Almost all of these cars had been sold to customers and no doubt they were upset they could not take delivery of these cars.”

Genuine BMW car parts are highly sought-after, with some steering wheels made by the firm selling for hundreds of pounds online. Last year, police in Kent issued a warning to BMW owners after a spate of steering wheel thefts