A jilted boyfriend who took his ex’s £16,000 car after they split – lumbering her with the repayments along with a tissue of lies – has dodged prison with a suspended sentence.
Incapacity benefit claimant Paul Geoffrey Hatton, 41, of Waterdale Crescent, St. Helens, Merseyside only admitted the crime when the victim showed up to give evidence at the trial.
He pleaded guilty to stealing a Peugeot 207 GT from Julie Tegg-Vardy in Nottingham on July 28, 2007.
Prosecutor Miss Rekha Kodikara told Inner London Crown Court the couple had lived together for six months until the bust-up on the day of the theft.
“They had an argument and the defendant was told to leave by the complainant, who gave him permission to drive the car to Merseyside where his mother lives.
“She only lent him the car so he could get to Merseyside, but it was the last time she saw that car.”
Hatton failed to answer phone calls for over a month and eventually, acting on police advice, Miss Tegg-Vardy wrote to him demanding the return of the vehicle, vital for her school run.
The defendant did telephone his ex, claiming he suffered a head injury in a violent street attack.
“This was the start of a litany of lies he told,” explained miss Kodikara.
Hatton claimed he would pay off the £12,000-plus car loan after collecting money in London.
The victim then received a text from the defendant who insisted the vehicle was stolen while he was in a Southwark bank and found smashed glass in the gutter.
The theft was reported to police and on March 18, this year Merseyside officers spotted it parked in Hatton’s uncle’s driveway.
The uncle was arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods, but not charged and Hatton later handed himself into police and was quizzed by officers in Peckham, South London.
He told them he paid £10,000 for the car, but had no proof of purchase.
Meanwhile Miss Tegg-Vardy had paid an additional £4,536 for a car she did not have.
It was eventually re-sold for £6,400 after another 10,000 miles were put on the clock.
Hatton was sentenced to twelve months imprisonment, suspended for two years, ordered to perform 300 hours community service work and pay £7,400 compensation to Miss Tegg-Vardy.
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