West Kent Local News
Police bodycam footage of the 65-metre shed in Lenham, packed with stolen car parts, at the moment officers opened it on 25 April 2025. Image credit: Kent Police.
41-Year-Old Lenham Man Jailed After £1 Million Stolen Car Parts Operation Uncovered Near Maidstone
A 41-year-old man from Lenham has been jailed after Kent Police uncovered a car-dismantling operation running from two sites near Maidstone, seizing stolen vehicle parts worth £1 million in total. Detectives recovered items from 40 reported stolen vehicles once they'd traced both locations.
How detectives found the first site
The investigation began with multiple reports of Kia thefts between December 2024 and February 2025. Following up those reports, detectives traced a stolen vehicle to a yard on Scragged Oak Road in Detling, where they found and seized a number of stolen car parts.
A stop near Swanley led to the second
In April 2025, a proactive patrol on the A20 spotted a red Ford Transit minibus they suspected was travelling on cloned number plates. They stopped the vehicle near Swanley and found the driver carrying a set of keys labelled "Shed 6." Those keys led officers to a distribution centre at a farm on Waterditch Road, Lenham - a shed 65 metres long, packed with thousands of car parts. In total, detectives recovered items from 40 reported stolen vehicles across the two sites.
The sentence
Searches of the man's home also recovered a Louis Vuitton handbag, a silver Rolex watch, three pieces of gold jewellery and a large quantity of cash, seized as proceeds of crime. Following a trial at Maidstone Crown Court, he was convicted of handling stolen property to the value of £300,000, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance. He was sentenced at the same court on Tuesday 20 October to two years and three months in prison.
What police said
Investigating officer Detective Constable Alex Bagnall said: "Due to a determined and relentless investigation, [his] garages and distribution centre have been shut down, and his assets seized as proceeds of crime. This case is a reminder that we will pursue every available line of enquiry to ensure those responsible for serious crime are tracked down and imprisoned. Furthermore we will always seize any ill-gotten gains to ensure they cannot profit from their offending."
