Leeds businessman traded in high-powered Audis, Mercedes and Seats stolen from around the UK

Officers found cars and car parts in the building on Artist Lane that had been registered stolen from around the UK.

Leeds Crown Court heard that police noticed a suspicious Audi at Armley Gyratory on May 17, 2020, so followed it to the industrial unit where Damien Shuttleworth got out of the driver’s seat.

The car was was found to be on false number plates, and when quizzed why he was there, Shuttleworth told them the security alarm had been triggered on the property and he was there to check it, which police quickly realised was a lie.

They then checked the unit and found either stolen cars being stored, or stolen parts. This included the Audi he was driving which had been taken from Wales five months previous.

Inside the unit they found a Mercedes Sprinter van stolen from Burley Road in Leeds days before. There was also an engine block from a Seat Leon stolen from Oldham, plus a rear seat base from a stolen Audi and parts from a Mercedes C220 AMG. The total value of the cars and parts came to more than £18,000.

Shuttleworth, of Hepworth Avenue, Churwell, admitted five counts of handling stolen goods. He also admitted possession of a bladed article after an incident last year at his brother’s funeral. He got into an argument during the wake, retrieved a machete from his car and then chased a person.

The 38-year-old has been held on remand at HMP Forest Bank in Manchester since November. Mitigating, Christopher Styles said his incarceration had been a “chastening experience”. He said he used his time wisely, had become a wing cleaner and completed courses in maths and English.

He added: “He is desperately trying to put the right foot forward and turn his life around.” Mr Styles said that Shuttleworth had a job waiting for him as a landscaper.

Recorder David Kelly sentenced him to 29 months, and said: “It’s clear to me you were running a business for profit which was dependent, to an extent, on stolen vehicle parts. There’s really no mitigation. There was no care for where they came from.”