Nottingham: Man who stole £39k car identified by his tattoos

Daniel Rowton was caught on CCTV entering Nottingham's Broadmarsh car park

A construction worker who stole a £39,000 car was arrested after police recognised his distinctive tattoos.

Daniel Rowton, 28, was seen on CCTV entering Nottingham's Broadmarsh car park and taking the BMW 4 series on 24 November 2022.

Officers later spotted him working at an adjacent construction site.

Rowton, of Beech Street, Highley, Shropshire, was sentenced to 10 months in jail, suspended for two years, at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday.

Detectives launched an investigation after the BMW was reported stolen from level three of the multi-storey complex.

The prime suspect was identified by his tattoos before being spotted working near the car park a month later.

Police say road cameras caught the stolen BMW being driven to an address in the West Midlands - a journey matched by a mobile phone belonging to Rowton at the same time.

It was recovered from the West Midlands and returned to its owner - a woman in her 40s - with a significant amount of damage including scraped paintwork and a buckled front wheel, the force said.

Rowton was arrested and later pleaded guilty to theft of a motor vehicle.

Det Sgt Sarah Gregg, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "I'm pleased that as a result of our inquiries, Rowton has been put before the courts to face the consequences of his actions."