Convicted Driver
UK cleanest car thief dies in getaway crash
Tue, 28 Feb 2006
Britain's most prolific car thief, described by a judge as "the man you would most want to steal your car" has died in a car crash.
Colin Sadd had over 150 convictions for car crimes, but what made him so memorable was the fact that he would steal cars, clean and polish them and then leave them with the keys for the police to find and reunite with their owners.
He would often dress as a businessman, despite aptly being a contract cleaner, and take cars on test drives from dealers and not return them.
However, his clean crime wave came to an end on Friday last week while he was on the run from the police when the stolen vehicle he was driving collided with a lorry in Lancashire.
Psychologists said that Mr Sadd had a compulsive disorder that would have taken years to cure.
After a trial in 2004 his wife said: "He looked after the cars he stole better than me.
"He only takes brand new vehicles, drives them around for a couple of hours, then he cleans them inside and out. He will even buy a tin of polish to give them an extra sparkle and sometimes takes them to a car wash to get them extra clean."
Despite Mr Sadd's long life of car crime he never owned a car, so never needed convicted driver insurance.
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