Car thief busted thanks to his trip to McDonald’s

A prolific car thief who led police on wild chases was finally snared after being exposed by his McDonald’s order.

A prolific car thief who led police on wild chases was finally snared after being exposed by his McDonald’s order.

Callum Roberts nicked two cars within two weeks of each other from locations across Shrewsbury, a country town in western England, in February this year.

But in a bizarre twist, the 20-year-old’s love for fast-food eventually led to his arrest.

He snatched the first vehicle, a silver BMW, from a car park on February 15 at 10pm.

When the stolen car flagged up on police systems later that evening, West Mercia officers followed.

Roberts led the force on a high speed chase as he barrelled through 48km/h zones at 96km/h.

He narrowly avoided smashing into another vehicle before evading the force.

The BMW was subsequently found abandoned in a remote area.

But, Roberts must have felt a little peckish after stealing the car, as officers found a McDonald’s bag left behind.

Callum Roberts' need for McDonald's ultimately led to his downfall. Picture: West Mercia Police

It contained a receipt showing he’d been to the branch in Meole Brace, shortly after committing his crime.

CCTV footage from the restaurant revealed Roberts as the driver. Just two weeks later, the keys to a Citroen C3 were taken from a property. And, the next night Roberts came back for the car itself.

Three days later, officers spotted the vehicle, and engaged in another pursuit when Roberts failed to stop.

On this occasion, the thief travelled at around 96km/h in a 32km/h zone, before recklessly driving down a highway in the wrong direction.

Here, Roberts started speeding in excess of 160km/h, and nearly crashed into a truck.

He eventually stopped in an off shoulder on the highway and tried to flee on foot, but officers quickly detained him.

Perhaps it was the second McDonald’s that slowed him down, as investigations uncovered Roberts had scoffed a meal from the chain yet again.

This time, he had used bank cards found within the Citroen.

Roberts pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle taking, fraud by false representation and two counts of driving while disqualified in May 2025 at Shrewsbury Crown Court.

A McDonald’s bag was found in the car.

A judge sentenced the defendant to three years in jail.

He will also be subject to a four-year and two-month driving ban when he is released.

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 while 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.”

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Car thief busted thanks to his trip to McDonald’s