A man who referred to himself as “the Robin Hood of Oxford” has been jailed for handling stolen number plates and stealing fuel.

Taffyn Betnay, of Benouville Close, Oxford, appeared at Oxford Crown Court on Wednesday and admitted handling a stolen set of number plates taken from a car in Cowley in March.

The 21-year-old also admitted using the stolen plates to steal £200 worth of fuel from two petrol stations in Benson and Stadhampton.

He was jailed for 45 weeks.

Speaking after the sentencing Pc Stuart Carey said: “This is a clear example to anyone who is considering stealing fuel using stolen number plates that the police and courts will deal with all offences robustly.”

Betnay was convicted in December 2010 of stealing more than £1,213 of fuel from petrol stations.

Describing himself as “The Robin Hood of Oxford”, Betnay admitted stealing number plates from around the city and attaching them to his girlfriend’s hire car while she was at work, filling up with diesel and driving off without paying.

He then went on to sell the fuel to others at half-price.

Three other counts of stealing number plates and eight counts of making off without payment were also taken into consideration at the sentencing last year.

He was jailed for 18 weeks and given six penalty points.