A MAN from Beaconsfield who was involved with stealing a hire car, stripping it of its parts and arranging to dump it in two different places has been handed a community service sentence.

Jack Picton, 38 of Gomms Wood Close, was sentenced in April for his part in the theft of a Mercedes sports car last November.

Picton reported to police that the Mercedes which he had hired from a company in Heathrow on November 5 had been stolen.

He told officers that the car had been taken from near to his home sometime between 4pm on November 7 and 10am the following morning.

Around the same time on November, a member of the public contacted police after they found the rear half of the stolen Mercedes abandoned in Pond Lane, Chalfont St Peter.

It had been transported to the site in a large van. The front half of the vehicle was found Burnham Beeches.

Police found that Picton had been involved with the theft of the Mercedes, which was later recovered by police with help with the hire company.

Detectives then discovered that a second man, 35-year-old Asif Parvez from Slough, had also been involved.

CCTV footage and other sources revealed the car had been stripped of its body parts and panels, before being cut into two halves and dumped in two separate rural locations.

Picton and Parvez were arrested on February 5 this year and charged with theft on April 8.

Parvez was also charged with handling stolen goods. Picton pleaded guilty to theft of vehicle and was sentenced at Aylesbury Crown Court on April 30 to 150 hours unpaid work.

Parvez pleaded not guilty to theft of motor vehicle but guilty to the charge of handling stolen goods. He was given a community sentence of 100 hours unpaid work.

Both were ordered to pay £300 towards the costs of the prosecution as well as a victim surcharge of £60.

Det Con Austin Parry, investigating officer, said: “CCTV footage, as well as information from the hire company, played a significant part in this investigation.

“Both men were for example seen purchasing a cutting blade from a store in Slough prior to the car then being stripped and cut.

He added: “I believe the pair committed the crime to make money by selling the car’s parts and panels.”