Great Harwood man jailed for Lancashire car theft spree

Mohommed Zubhir, who has an appalling criminal record and has spent the last six and a half years in and out of custody, and the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, stole the cars from houses in Great Harwood, Chorley, and Penwortham in Preston, in August and September 2022, and then in November 2023.

All the crimes took place in the early hours of the morning, when their victims were either present in their homes or away from their properties, Preston Crown Court heard, with Zubhir and his teenage accomplice seemingly targeting the addresses due to the presence of high value vehicles.

David Clarke, prosecuting, told the court messages had been sent between the pair which mentioned them “meeting up to graft” near to where the teenager lived because it was “a nice area”, with photos of the cars they wanted to steal also exchanged.

Mohommed Zubhir (Image: Lancs Police)

In two instances, a blow torch was used to damage house door locks to enable Zubhir to enter his victim’s homes, while both defendants entered properties in which young children were sleeping upstairs.

The court heard the spree only halted between October 2022 and October 2023 because Zubhir was recalled to prison for a dangerous driving offence, before being released and continuing with his spate of crimes.

Mr Clarke said Zubhir, now 22, of Town Hall Square, Great Harwood, admitted to 16 offences including theft, burglary and attempted burglary, while the youth, currently of Preston and now aged 16, admitted to 11 similar offences.

The first incidents in the spree during 2022 took place on August 11 and 12, when Zubhir twice attempted to burgle a home in Park Lane, Great Harwood.

Then on August 29, both defendants attempted to burgle a property in Redwing Avenue, Great Harwood, before attempting another burglary, this time in Clayton Street.

On the same morning, August 29, the teenager managed to get inside a separate house in Redwing Avenue and stole a set of AirPods while his victim and her 16-year-old daughter slept upstairs.

Mr Clarke told the court the crimes continued, and on August 30, both defendants gained access to a property in Wordsworth Drive while the householder was on holiday and stole an electric scooter and a power drill along with other items.

The teenager then turned his attention to a house in Railway Terrace on August 30, where he entered the property and stole two sets of car keys.

Mr Clarke said both defendants then stole an Audi A3 and a Volkswagen Golf from the home, with the Golf later being recovered in Accrington and the Audi found in a chop shop in Bradford.

The defendants had also been caught on CCTV in Accrington removing the registration plate from the Audi.

The teen was arrested on September 7, 2022, interviewed, and released under investigation.

However, far from being deterred, on September 23, both Zubhir and the teen burgled another home in Leigh Park, Hapton, before taking a BMW from the address.

Zubhir’s footprint was found inside the victim’s property, with the BMW later recovered at a mechanic's in Accrington.

Mr Clarke said Zubhir’s phone had connected to the Bluetooth system within the BMW, and he was later arrested in Bradford, with the youth arrested after being found inside the car.

It was at this point Zubhir was recalled to prison for 12 months and the offending ceased.

However, upon his release, the burgling spree started back up and in November 2023, the pair were at it again.

This time they set their sights on a property in Penwortham, Preston, on November 5, with Zubhir entering a home in Kensington Avenue before both the young men stole two high-value BMW sports cars belonging to the householders.

The court heard a third individual had also been involved on this occasion with the police taking no action against him due to his very young age and lack of previous offending.

It was during this burglary a blow torch was used to damage the lock on the back door so that Zubhir could get inside the home.

Finally, on November 15, 2023, Zubhir stole a VW Passat from a house in Chester Avenue, Chorley, which was recovered eight days later in Bradford.

On the same morning, he also attempted to break into properties in Haydock Drive, and Lighthurst Lane, Chorley, before attempting to burgle a third home in Alexander Close, again with a blow torch.

The teenager was arrested on November 16, with Zubhir apprehended two weeks later.

Both answered no comment in their police interviews, and following extensive CCTV investigations and lengthy enquiries, the pair were charged with both sets of offences in December 2023.

In mitigation, it was heard the pair had experienced troubled upbringings, with the two of them falling into criminal activity under the influence of older individuals, with the youth likely persuaded to participate thanks to coercion by Zubhir.

Zubhir, 22, has 18 convictions for 42 offences including a five-year sentence for robbery as a youth. He was jailed for four years and six months.

The teenager, 16, has three convictions for five offences. He was handed a 24-month youth rehabilitation order, with 24 months of supervision, and must complete a programme designed to help him understand and manage his emotions.

He was also made subject to a three-month electronic curfew between the hours of 8pm and 6am.

Recorder William Beardmore said: “I have given you an opportunity to demonstrate you can turn your life around and make good progress and become a decent member of society. Don’t ruin that.”