A thief who broke into a car belonging to Watford star Imran Louza has been jailed after he moved to Devon and stole his grandmother’s life savings.

Loui Guinan was living in North London in October 2021 when he smashed his way into the Moroccan international’s vehicle at a hotel car park and stole a £1,000 Louis Vuitton bag, which contained a Rolex watch, designer clothes and shoes.

Louza was playing for Watford at the time and is still a registered player for the club, but has since gone out on loan to Lorient in France.

Watford Observer: Loui Guinan.Loui Guinan. (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Guinan cut his hand as he smashed his way into the car and was traced by his DNA, which police had on file because he has a history of petty crime.

He moved to Devon late last year while awaiting trial for the theft at Southwark Crown Court, where he pleaded guilty on the day he was due to stand trial last month. Louza reported that his Rolex watch was stolen but Guinan entered a basis of plea which said he that he had not stolen it.

He went to live with his grandmother in Bideford but stole her life savings of more than £10,000 after forcing her to tell him the PIN number of her bank card by holding a burning lighter to her face and singeing her hair.

He used it to empty her £6,500 savings account which she had planned to use to repair her home after it suffered flood damage. He stole the rest from her current account and used her passport to make fraudulent applications for loans, bank accounts and credit cards in her name.

Watford Observer: Imran Louza

Guinan, 34, of High Street in Edgware, admitted criminal damage and theft in London and assault by battery and fraud in Devon. He was jailed for three years by Judge David Evans at Exeter Crown Court.

He imposed an indefinite restraining order preventing any further contact with his grandmother and told Guinan: “Your grandmother was particularly vulnerable to this fraud which was disgraceful in the circumstances.”

Mr Rowan Jenkins, prosecuting, said the London offences happened when a professional footballer’s car was broken into by having its window smashed in October 2021. Guinan cut himself and was traced through his DNA. The stolen bag and its contents were never recovered.

He moved back to Devon late last year and then carried out the frauds after extracting the PIN number from his grandmother, who only learned of the scale of the frauds when she went to her local branch of the Nationwide and found her account were empty.

She lost a total of £10,435 but Guinan also stole her identity and applied for loans or accounts with credit lines of £43,500, although he was caught before the money was obtained. It resulted in his grandmother’s credit rating being ruined.

Mr Christopher Carr, defending, said Guinan is ashamed of how he treated his grandmother, who brought him up after his mother died when he was six. He moved back to Devon after his father was murdered in London and he was being pursued to repay his debts to a gang.