The brazen gang who left misery in their wake has been locked up for their roles in the biggest conspiracy ever dealt with by West Mercia Police
Left: Wesley Hunt, one of the 11 car key gang members sentenced this week, trying to escape police. Right: The gang filmed themselves hitting speeds of around 164mph in stolen cars.(Image: West Mercia Police )
A bragging gang of car key burglars who stole nearly £3.5million worth of luxury vehicles – and filmed themselves hitting speeds of around 164mph in the stolen cars – have been jailed.
Eleven members of the mainly Midland-based gang were locked up for 94 years and eight months combined this week for their roles in the biggest conspiracy ever dealt with by West Mercia Police.
They stole high-end cars including BMWs, Audis, Land Rovers and Range Rovers – some of which were worth over £100,000 each – typically by breaking into their victims’ homes and stealing their car keys.
The gang would then bleach or clean their entrance and exit points to hide forensic evidence before speeding off in stolen vehicles at crazy speeds.
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Using their underground criminal links, they would sell the cars quickly on the black market for only a fraction of their value, or strip them out for parts in illegal chop shops.
Police said the masked gang also stole sentimental jewellery and caused huge damage to residents’ homes.
They would often confront their victims which included elderly and vulnerable people, families with young children.
This car key gang caused misery for their victims(Image: West Mercia Police )
Many victims haunted by the crimes felt forced to move out of their homes.
The gang’s criminality led to Op Flare being set up by West Mercia Police.
In total, 12 offenders were arrested and later charged by the force.
Videos shared on WhatsApp and Snapchat captured the gang bragging about their exploits, and dash-cam footage from stolen cars caught them racing away from crime scenes at dangerous speeds.
Their sentencing at Worcester Crown Court today, April 17, and yesterday, April 16, marks the end of the force’s probe into the brazen thugs.
Yesterday, the following offenders were convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit burglary and one count of conspiracy to conceal/disguise/transfer/remove criminal property:
Charlie Coombs, 20, of Grafton Lane, Bidford-on-Avon, Alcester, was sentenced to eight years and three months in a young offenders’ institution for the first offence and five years concurrently for the second offence. He was also disqualified from driving for 96 months.Wesley Hunt, 49, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to seven years and two months in prison and three years to run concurrently. He was disqualified from driving for 91 months.Jack Stephens, 19, of HMP YOI Featherstone, was sentenced to six years and four months and three years concurrently in a young offenders’ institution. He was disqualified from driving for 86 months.Charlie Taylor-Bates, 20, of Evesham, was sentenced to four years and ten months and three years concurrently in a young offenders’ institution. He was disqualified from driving for 48 months.Riley Reeve, 28, of Pitwell Lane, Aldington, Evesham was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit burglary for which he was sentenced to four years and nine months behind bars He was disqualified from driving for 76 months.
Today, the following offenders were convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit burglary and one count of conspiracy to conceal/disguise/transfer/remove criminal property:
Bradley Archer, 29, of Rynal Place, Evesham, was sentenced to seven years and six months, and four years to run concurrently. He was also disqualified from driving for 93 months.Chance Gill, 27, of Eckington, Worcestershire, was sentenced to eight years for his involvement in Operation Flare, as well as a six-year sentence for conspiracy to commit burglary for offences in Wiltshire – these are to run consecutively. Gill was also given a 12-month sentence for failing to stop/dangerous driving to run concurrently, and disqualified from driving for 191 months.Jimmy Doran, 22, of Windmill Lane, Ladbroke in Warwickshire, was sentenced to 11 years and two months, and seven years to run concurrently. He was also disqualified from driving for 114 months.Eric Pearce, 29, of HMP YOI Stoke Heath, was sentenced to 10 years and six months, and eight years to run concurrently. He was also disqualified from driving for 117 months.Morgan Spiers, 27, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to eight years for his involvement in Operation Flare, as well as a four-year sentence for conspiracy to commit burglary for offences in Wiltshire – these are to run consecutively. He was disqualified from driving for 21 years.Shane Young, 34, of HMP Hewell, was sentenced to eight years and four months, and five years to run concurrently. He was also disqualified from driving for 95 months.
A twelfth gang member – a 17-year-old boy from Stratford-upon-Avon who cannot be named for legal reasons – was sentenced separately at the same court in January to a detention and training order for 14 months.
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His Honour Judge Andrew Lockhart KC told the perpetrators in court: “The terrible and long-lasting impact of your offences strike at the heart of society who should feel safe and secure in their own homes.
“You reaped havoc upon their lives without any thought for them. Families endured fear and children were affected by your actions. A significant portion of your victims were forced to move home as they couldn’t face living there anymore.
“You caused them huge financial losses. Sentimental items were taken and relationships between families were harmed by the stress you caused them.”
Biggest conspiracy ever for force
Detective Constable Simon Lloyd, co-lead investigator for Op Flare, said: “This organised criminal gang were responsible for £3.45million of car thefts causing a lot of harm to their victims in the process.
“Not only did the victims suffer from their cars being stolen and homes broken into, but the offenders also had a ‘calling card’ of bleaching areas they came to contact with damaging properties and causing further misery.”
Detective Inspector James Bamber of Proactive CID added: “This result is for those victims. We hope it brings them some sense of justice and helps them to move on with their lives after the harm this gang have caused them.
“For West Mercia Police it concludes a thorough and comprehensive year-long investigation by our officers into what has been the biggest conspiracy case by volume of offences ever dealt with by the force.”
