Daniel Kirkland pleads guilty to carjacking crime spree across Central Coast, Hunter

A man was caught red handed by police for a crime spree which involved stealing numerous cars and taking them for joyrides when they discovered it all documented on his phone. Read the details.

Kirkland pleaded guilty to a number of offences in Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday. Supplied Amy Ziniak

A Queensland man had nowhere to hide when police uncovered a crime spree which involved stealing numerous cars across Newcastle, the Central Coast and Hunter Valley all documented on his phone.

Daniel Kirkland, who was 18 at the time, was arrested at Waratah West in March last year – trying to flee from police with a group of his mates – following an investigation into a stolen vehicle.

But what officers found was that Kirkland was carrying a variety of things in his bumbag which included numerous keys to different vehicles, garage door remotes, a bank card, cash, torch, a gold Tommy Hilfiger watch and some red gloves.

They soon discovered that he was one of the men responsible for a crime spree that lasted from January to March, where groups of men would break into homes in the early hours of the morning and the teenager would then take part in stealing cars, as well as on one occasion a motorbike.

Kirkland pleaded guilty to a raft of offences relating to stealing cars. iStock.

He was nabbed for car-jackings at Hamlyn Terrace on the Central Coast, New Lambton, Merewether, Cameron Park, Wallsend and Muswellbrook, taking several vehicles on joy rides including a BMW, Land Rover Discovery and a Yamaha motorbike.

He made it easy for police with his phone uncovering a trail of evidence in the form of videos documenting his crime sprees, all included with timestamps.

Police facts detailed that on February 8 last year, Kirkland recorded himself driving a stolen BMW and had a screenshot of the address where it had been taken.

Another video was found of the following day with him walking around, sitting and driving a stolen Land Rover from Merewether, and one video which showed dangerous speeding of up to 188km/h.

Court documents also revealed there were two videos on Kirkland’s phone of him as a passenger in a stolen vehicle from Muswellbrook on February 21, one of them while being pursued by police.

In Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday Kirkland appeared via video link as he pleaded guilty to a raft of offences with 15 other charges dismissed.

He pleaded guilty to possession of house breaking implements, unlawfully obtaining goods, knowingly be carried in a stolen conveyance, never licensed person driving a vehicle on the road, take and drive conveyance and custody of a knife in a public place.

Kirkland’s matters will move to Newcastle’s District Court next week where a sentence date will be set.