You're McNicked! How prolific Shrewsbury car thief's penchant for McDonald's helped police catch up with him
This is the face of a prolific car thief who was identified by his McDonald's order after leading police on two dangerous chases.
Callum Roberts, aged 20, was handed a three-year sentence and a driving ban of four years and two months after leading officers on pursuits in Shrewsbury in stolen cars.
In both incidents, Roberts incriminated himself by going to McDonald's. He was seen on CCTV at the fast food restaurant and left his receipt in the car.
In one of the chases, he thrashed down the A49 and turned the wrong way around Preston island, “narrowly avoiding” oncoming lorries as he drove the wrong way down the dual carriageway on the A5 towards Emstrey roundabout.
Roberts was sentenced at Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday (Thursday, July 10).
Detective Constable Tom Clough said: “I hope yesterday's sentence serves as a warning that we will work tirelessly to ensure those who cause distress to the public by taking what does not belong to them, as well as putting lives at risk by their actions, are put before the courts.
“Not only was he driving stolen vehicles, Roberts was aware that he was driving whilst disqualified and his willingness to engage in such risk-taking to evade capture on two separate occasions is something that caused officers great concern.
“This was a team effort and if it wasn't for the commitment of my team as well as our roads policing officers, we couldn't have achieved such a good result in such a short space of time.
“I am pleased with the sentence at court, which I hope gives the victims some sort of closure, as well as time for Roberts to reflect on how dangerous his actions were, which could have had tragic consequences given the lack of care for the safety of others and himself.”
During the sentencing the court heard how Roberts took the first car, a silver BMW, from a car park near St Julian's Crescent in Shrewsbury on Saturday, February 15 this year at around 10pm.
Around two hours later, traffic officers sighted the stolen vehicle and followed it, prompting the BMW to accelerate, reaching speeds of up to 70mph in a 30mph zone. During the pursuit the BMW narrowly avoided colliding with another vehicle.
Officers then lost sight of the BMW, which was later found abandoned in Roden. The driver of the vehicle had fled the scene.
When searching the vehicle for evidence, officers found a McDonald's bag with a receipt showing the driver had been to the burger chain's restaurant in Meole Brace shortly after taking the vehicle.
Following CCTV enquiries officers were able to establish Roberts as the driver of the stolen vehicle.
Around two weeks later, on Saturday, March 1, a report was made that car keys belonging to a Citroen C3 Aircross were taken from an address on Brougham Square in Shrewsbury. The following night the thief returned to take the vehicle.
On Wednesday, March 5, officers sighted the stolen vehicle in the north of Shrewsbury, where again it failed to stop and led officers on a high speed chase through residential areas.
The vehicle reached speeds of around 60mph in a 20mph zone, went the wrong way around a roundabout before joining the A5 on the wrong carriageway, where it reached speeds of 100mph, narrowly avoiding a HGV.
Eventually the car stopped in a layby and the driver, who was identified as Roberts, fled before being caught and arrested.
During the investigation led by Shropshire’s Serious Acquisitive Crime Team, they discovered that Roberts had also fraudulently used bank cards belonging to the owner of the Citroen to buy a McDonald’s shortly after the vehicle was reported stolen.
Roberts was subsequently charged with the offences, to which he pleaded guilty in May 2025 at Shrewsbury Crown Court.
