Three jailed after police busted 'sophisticated' Bradford chop shop

High value stolen cars were stripped, dismantled and disguised in a sophisticated commercial enterprise at the Chapel Green Works in Independent Street, Little Horton.

The ringleader of the plot, Siyavash Omidifar, was today jailed for ten years in his absence after he fled the country part-way through the trial at Bradford Crown Court.

Omidifar, 41, of Ayresome Oval, Allerton, Bradford, flew from Manchester Airport to Doha in Qatar on December 8, shortly after giving evidence.

His “lieutenant” Pawel Wach, 35, a neighbour on Ayresome Oval, was imprisoned for six years.

Marc Holton, 38, of Burneston Gardens, Buttershaw, Bradford, was jailed for three years.

He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to dishonestly receive vehicles and vehicle parts at the start on the trial, on November 23.

Omidifar and Wach were convicted of the offence by the jury on Friday. Omidifar was also found guilty of laundering £57,000 of criminal money from the business.

Prosecutor Tom Storey told the court today there was no update on the whereabouts of Omidifar.

During the trial, the jury heard that police raided the works after Hassan Liaquat traced his stolen £40,000 Mercedes Benz C250 to the building.

The car was stolen in an overnight burglary at his home and he used the tracking device to find it.

On September 15, 2016, he activated the key fob outside locked roller shutters at the works and could hear the vehicle doors locking and unlocking.

He called the police and they broke in to find the Mercedes on a false registration plate and with the rear seats removed. CCTV footage showed the car arriving at the works and being driven inside.

Mr Storey said there was “a vast collection of other vehicle parts” at the works, many, such as doors and springs, neatly arranged in order.

In all, 69 vehicles were identified that had been dismantled by the conspirators between June, 2011, and September, 2016.

In the two months leading up to the police raid, £200,000 worth of vehicles had been stripped, cloned and disguised.

Holton was also sentenced for affray and criminal damage when he went to confront Omidifar at a takeaway in Otley in April. He had 16 previous convictions for 38 offences, including burglary and supplying class A drugs.

Mr Storey said Omidifar played a leading role in the conspiracy that involved stealing vehicles in domestic burglaries and the deliberate destruction of them.

Imran Shafi, Wach’s barrister, said he was a family man of previous good character who was employed by Omidifar.

“He has been exploited, used and manipulated by Mr Omidifar. Omidifar engineered all of this and he is now sunning himself in Qatar, or wherever he may be,” Mr Shafi said.

The Recorder of Bradford, Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC, said there was no evidence that Wach had been coerced.

“He was the trusted right-hand man in the most sophisticated chop shop that can ever be imagined,” the judge said.

Ashok Khullar, for Holton, said he joined the conspiracy for only a couple of months and had pleaded guilty to avoid lying to the jury.

Robin Frieze, Omidifar’s barrister, confirmed that he had run away the weekend after giving evidence in court.

Judge Durham Hall labelled Omidfar “very resourceful, cunning and intelligent.”

Calling him “the leading light in the conspiracy,” the judge said he spotted the opportunity at the Chapel Green Works when he and Wach were working as mechanics in Bradford.

It was a sophisticated conspiracy in which often high value, and always precious, cars were stolen, stripped and dismantled.

Judge Durham Hall praised the “great resolve and resourcefulness” of the police in raiding the works and cataloguing the stolen vehicles.

“It was clearly a well manned and well organised enterprise. This was a staggering, arrogant, well run operation,” he said.

Insurance companies had paid out significant amounts of money and vehicles were often stolen in targeted, night time domestic burglaries.

After the case, West Yorkshire Police said: “Three men from Bradford have been sentenced to a total of 19 years following an investigation into an organised crime gang which is believed to have been involved in the handling and disposal of more than £1m of stolen cars.

The investigation centred on Chapel Green Works in the Little Horton area of Bradford after police discovered vehicle parts for 69 stolen vehicles in an industrial unit on the premises in September 2016.

Documents and other items were also found for a further six cars.

Most of the vehicles had been stolen in burglaries across Bradford District, although some were taken from offences outside of West Yorkshire.

One of the gang members, Nigel Harrison, 50, was jailed last year for 18 years after he pleaded guilty to firearms and drugs offences in relation to guns and drugs found inside the unit.

And today, three more men were jailed at Bradford Crown Court after they were found guilty of conspiracy to handle stolen goods.

A Proceeds of Crime Act investigation will now follow to establish what assets can be seized with a view to making applications for repayment orders.”

Detective Sergeant Andy Simpson, who led the inquiry and was commended by the judge, along with his team, said: “This was a considerable investigation into organised crime in West Yorkshire and we are pleased that more of these gang members are now serving time in prison for their involvement.

“The vehicles were being stolen in burglaries and taken to the unit, where they were dismantled for the parts to be used, sold on, or scrapped in exchange for cash.

“West Yorkshire Police is working with partners to tackle organised crime and anyone with information about suspected criminal activity in their area is urged to report it by calling 101 or using the live chat facility on the West Yorkshire Police website.

“Information can also be reported anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.”