These are the pictures of the burnt-out car that Toby Hooper stole in a burglary in Ewelme.

The 35-year-old, who was spared an immediate prison sentence at Oxford Crown Court last week, swiped the keys to the Audi during a break-in at the owner’s south Oxfordshire home in July 2020.

The vehicle was not recovered until a couple of days later, when the burnt-out remnants were discovered in a rural lane near Greater Leys, Oxford.

Hooper’s fingerprint was found in the back of the smouldering vehicle.

READ MORE: Burglar spared immediate jail sentence

But the burglar himself was not tracked down until five days later, when he was behind the wheel of a Vauxhall van and driving in what a judge described as an ‘alarming manner’.

He was arrested after a police chase.

Recorder John Bate-Williams opted to impose a 22 month suspended prison sentence rather than send the thief straight to prison.

As reasons for letting him keep his liberty, he cited the three-year delay since the break-in and the positive changes Hooper had made since his release from a stint behind bars on remand. Sending him back inside could risk sending him back into the arms of drug addiction, the judge said.

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