Deported immigrant caught stealing £30,000 Mercedes in Wakefield using hi-tech car-hacking device
An immigrant deported from Britain was caught using a digital hacking device to trick a £30,000 Mercedes into thinking its keys were present.
Benas Silvanovics was with an accomplice when they used the sophisticated gadget to unlock the powerful car and drive away from the property in Sandal.
The device scans for keyless-entry cars by intercepting the signal to the vehicle, then fooling the car into thinking the key is nearby. The doors unlock and the ignition can then be started.
The pair had been snooping around Woolgreaves Drive at around 3am on November 12, and were seen using the relay instrument, Leeds Crown Court heard
Silvanovics was seen stood next to the Mercedes, parked on the driveway, which unlocked. The pair got in and drove off with Silvanovics behind the wheel.
The owner had heard the car being driven away and phoned the police. Thanks to a tracker, officers were able to catch up with the Mercedes in the Newmillerdam area.
Following a brief chase, Silvanovics jumped from the vehicle while it was still moving and it crashed into a lamppost.
He ran off but was later found hiding in a nearby outhouse. Inside the vehicle they found a rucksack with tools for stealing cars.
There was also evidence that they had tried to remove the car’s carpets in a bid to find and dispose of the tracker, prosecutor Paul Canfield said.
On his arrest, a finger-print scan revealed that 30-year-old Silvanovics had been deported from the UK in 2018 for taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent.
Records showed that he subsequently tried to re-enter the UK on several occasions between 2022 and 2024.
The Lithuanian, of no fixed address, appeared in court from HMP Leeds, where he was being held on remand. He admitted theft of a car, dangerous driving and breach of a deportation order.
Mitigating, Richard Canning said the reason he kept returning to the UK was because his 10-year-old son lived here.
He said: “He finds it very difficult not to see his son. Of course that is not a defence but it may explain his behaviour.
“He got in with the wrong crowd who offered him some cheap labour, but the pay was so low he could not even afford to eat.
“Out of financial desperation, he attempted to make money dishonestly. He tells me he very much regrets his actions and apologises. He has been living on the streets and finds life very difficult.”
The Recorder of Leeds, Judge Guy Kearl KC told Silvanovics that immediate custody “could not be avoided”.
He jailed him for 30 months, banned him from driving for 33 months, and told him the Home Office will likely deport him again on his release.