Three Bradford men, who were involved in a “substantial and sophisticated” conspiracy to handle stolen cars valued at almost half a million pounds, have been jailed for a total of 20 years.

Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday that the scam involved vehicles ranging from standard Volkswagen Golfs and Audis to higher-value models including Bentleys and Porsches.

Some were shipped to Japan to be sold at auction.

Taqi Mir, 28, and his brother Mazhar Mir, 26, both of Duckworth Lane, Bradford, had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to handle stolen cars. Raees Khan, 33, of Wilmer Drive, Heaton, was convicted by a jury of the charge. Khan was jailed for nine years, Taqi Mir for five years and four months and Mazhar Mir for four years.

The brothers also admitted a separate charge of conspiracy to defraud, involving clocking cars at their garage. Taqi Mir was given a further 14 months imprisonment for that offence, and his brother was sentenced to a consecutive nine months.

Deputy Circuit Judge Alastair McCallum said it was a sophisticated conspiracy by three well-educated men who used their knowledge to help perpetrate the crimes.

Deputy Judge McCallum said: “There was a great deal of thought went into all this. The prosecution say you were all equally involved.”

He told Khan he had used his intelligence to commit the crime, rather than benefit himself through honest endeavour.

“The jury found you were at the centre of this conspiracy,” he said.

The judge said Taqi Mir was only marginally less involved than Khan, but his younger brother played the lesser role.

He said the brothers had a cavalier approach to company law.

Prosecutor Jonathan Sandiford said the cars had predominantly been stolen in house burglaries. False identities were created for the vehicles, supported by forged documents. They were sold or part exchanged for legitimate vehicles and, in some cases, exported to Japan.

Mr Sandiford said police identified 18 stolen vehicles with a combined value of £419,380.

Mr Sandiford said the second conspiracy involving the brothers, defrauded purchasers of high-value vehicles by clocking them. The defendants, who owned a car lot and garage premises in Allerton Road, acquired 21 clocked vehicles and sold 16 for more than £90,000.

Khan’s barrister, Tanveer Qureshi, said the father-of-three assisted police in recovering some of the vehicles. He had not set out to commit crimes.

Balbir Singh, for Taqi Mir, said the brothers had run a legitimate business that went into criminality. He had previously led an industrious and blameless life. James Bourne-Arton, for Mazhar Mir, said the offences were out of character and he had continued to lead a normal, hardworking life.

* Anisa Ahmed, 25, of Woodhall Road, Bradford, who admitted perverting the course of justice, was given a four-month sentence suspended for two years, with 200 hours’ unpaid work.