A thief has admitted stealing vehicles worth more than £210,000 from across Fife in a series of sophisticated crimes.
Derrin Gunn, 20, pled guilty to 15 crimes, including the theft of 10 vehicles
In March last year, police found stolen vehicles and parts in containers which Gunn had been renting at Whitehill Industrial Estate in Glenrothes.
Photographs, videos and text messages linked to vehicle thefts and other offences were also recovered from Gunn’s mobile phone.
His highest value theft was a £70,000 silver Range Rover from a home in Windygates.
Gunn also stole two Ford Fiesta STs – one each in Leven in Glenrothes – with a combined value of £14,500 between Christmas Day and Boxing Day 2022 and these were not recovered.
A sheriff pointed out Gunn has somehow by-passed keyless security systems and ordered a report into how he had done so.
Gunn’s ten thefts were:
- £70,000 Range Rover from Windygates;
- £33,000 Volkswagen Golf R estate from St Andrews;
- £35,000 Audi S3 from Crail;
- £27,450 Ford Focus RS from Crail;
- £8,500 Ford Fiesta ST from Leven;
- £6,000 Ford Fiesta ST from Glenrothes;
- £13,000 Ford Fiesta ST from Gauldry;
- £4,500 Suzuki quadbike from a commercial premises in Ceres;
- £10,000 Seat Ibiza from Wormit;
- £3,500 motorbike from Dairsie
The thefts happened between October 19 2022 and March 28 last year.
Further crimes
Gunn pled guilty to stealing 10 motor vehicles, including one by housebreaking, and two sets of keys by housebreaking.
He also admitted three resets – possessing property knowingly acquired by theft;
- Volkswagen Golf in Lower Largo;
- Honda motorbike found at the industrial estate and spray painted a different colour;
- Ford Fiesta, the shell of which was found in containers at the industrial estate.
The court heard the Golf, bearing cloned registration plates linked to a keeper in England, was dumped after being driven around on various Fife roads.
A subsequent police check of the vehicle identification number found the car had been stolen from the Port Seton area in East Lothian about two weeks before.
The motorbike was stolen three years prior.
Two of Gunn’s crimes – the Volkswagen Golf R theft and reset of the Volkswagen Golf – were also perpetrated and admitted by co-accused 20-year-old Calvin Sturrock and were proved to have been aggravated by links to organised crime.
Cars valued by criminals
Gunn appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court by video link to HMYOI Polmont.
The court heard police had launched a nationwide operation following an increase in keyless vehicle thefts across Scotland.
Sheriff Timothy Niven-Smith highlighted six of the stolen vehicles – £94,000-worth – were either not, or only partially.
The sheriff said: “People were removed of their vehicles, some on Christmas night into Boxing Day.
“The Golf R and the Audi S3 are vehicles specifically targeted by criminals because of their cachet to those in the criminal underworld.
“They have very high sale values and because of repeated thefts, carry increased insurance premiums”.
Keyless thefts report ordered
The owner of the Ford Focus stolen from Crail previously told The Courier how he still had both his keys following the theft and there was no sign of a break-in, so he feared the key fob had been cloned.
The sheriff pointed out a number of the stolen vehicles had keyless ignition and asked the Crown for more details on how the security of these cars had been overcome, in time for sentencing next month.
He described Gunn’s offending as a “sustained course of conduct” perpetrated over a five-month period.
The sheriff said the two containers Gunn was renting were being used for criminal activity which suggests a “high degree of culpability” and pre-planning in the commission of his offences.
He also highlighted, although the Crown is yet to provide details on how the security of keyless ignition was overcome, it “may point to an element of sophistication”.
Sheriff Niven-Smith said Sturrock, of Scoonie Place, Leven, seemed “completely aloof” and unaware of the serious position he is in.
Sentencing was adjourned until March 11 to obtain reports.
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