An Edinburgh man has been jailed for 10 years after a five-month crime spree in which he stole or handled vehicles worth around £329,000.

John Connor Callaghan, 28, appeared at the High Court in Glasgow on Thursday, 5 November, where he was sentenced after pleading guilty to 29 charges. The offences included theft, theft by housebreaking, resetting, weapons offences, drug-related offending and dangerous driving.

The court heard that the vehicle crimes took place between December 2024 and April 2025, with incidents recorded across Edinburgh, the Lothians and Forth Valley. The sentencing statement detailed eight charges of theft by housebreaking, seven of resetting and one theft charge, alongside other statutory offences.

Callaghan had pleaded guilty to the 29 charges at a preliminary hearing on 23 September 2026. He was arrested and charged after being stopped by police officers in Edinburgh on 7 May 2025, and he has been in custody since the following day.

Lifetime driving ban

As well as the 10-year prison sentence, the court imposed a lifetime disqualification from driving, reflecting the seriousness of the road traffic offences. The sentence was made up of a six-year term for the housebreaking and other dishonesty offences, together with a consecutive four-year term for dangerous driving, weapons and other offences.

The 10-year sentence was backdated to 8 May 2025, the date Callaghan was first remanded in custody in connection with the proceedings. The judge said the public needed protecting from his criminal behaviour.

[Source: edinburghlive.co.uk](https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/edinburgh-man-stole-329000-worth-34869630) | [Source: lakelandpost.co.uk](https://lakelandpost.co.uk/local-news/edinburgh-man-jailed-for-10-years-over-329000-vehicle-theft-spree)