A Spanish national has been given a suspended sentence and a £1,000 fine after pleading guilty to four thefts from motor vehicles.

Alvaro David REYES SALAS, 18, of La Linea, was given the 10-week sentence – suspended for one year – at the Magistrates’ Court yesterday morning.

His accomplice, fellow La Linea resident Carlos MARTIN SALAS, 18, also pleaded guilty to the same four thefts, but failed to appear for his sentencing at court yesterday and a warrant for his arrest has been issued.

The court heard that at 10pm on Tuesday 18 January last month, a member of the public reported that two men appeared to be tampering with vehicles in Vineyards Estate. They were then seen to leave the area in a Spanish-registered car.

An hour later, Gibraltar Defence Police officers stopped the car in the area of British Lines Road, just as it was about to leave Gibraltar.

The two men were detained and the car was searched, with officers finding suspected stolen items inside the car – including a logbook and the ignition key of a motorcycle that was reported stolen from Naval Hospital Hill that same morning. 

The motorcycle was later found nearby, with various items missing from the storage compartment.

REYES SALAS and MARTIN SALAS were then arrested by RGP officers and taken to New Mole House.

An investigation by detectives in the Criminal Investigation Department found that they had been communicating via mobile phones and engaging in the sale of items they had stolen from vehicles in Gibraltar, to others in Spain. On their phones were numerous images of motorcycle helmets.

They were interviewed under caution, where they admitted to having come to Gibraltar for the purpose of stealing motor vehicles on multiple dates. Later that same evening, they were charged with eight counts of Theft.

Following their guilty pleas at Magistrates’ Court, both were bailed by the court until yesterday (17 February), pending a pre-sentence report and a £2,000 cash deposit each.