Cody Lowndes , of Lakeside Avenue, Ashton-under-Lyne, was sentenced to six years and two months in jail at The Lowry Nightingale Court, Salford, yesterday (Monday 14 December).

The court was told how Lowndes had been arrested in July earlier this year after a series of high-value car thefts in the Ashton-under-Lyne, Denton, Stalybridge, and Mottram areas of Tameside – totalling approximately £140,000.

All the cars later appeared on sale on social media.

Police were able to recover four of the cars, but three remained outstanding.

Lowndes became unwell while under arrest and officers took him to hospital where he managed to free himself from custody and flee from police.

He went on to abscond for 10 days before officers arrested him at a Manchester hotel on Tuesday 21 July before he was charged and later admitted seven counts of handling stolen goods and one count of escaping lawful custody.

Police Sergeant Peter Goddard, of GMP’s Tameside division, said: “We’re glad that Cody Lowndes has finally been put behind bars – the place he has belonged for the last six months.

“It is clear from the bulk of his offending that he has no regard for the law, after the way he targeted innocent members of our community and brazenly stole from them before having the audacity to then try and sell their goods online – in some cases, just a matter of hours later.

“Furthermore, his feeling of impunity by escaping police custody and taunting officers online for over a week emphasised the importance that this man was removed from our streets, and he is now forced to spend enough time behind bars to reflect on his deplorable actions – I very much doubt his extra 10 days of freedom were really a price worth paying.”