Six more jailed after £3.4m luxury car theft spree

Six more members of a gang that embarked on an "unreal" burglary spree stealing nearly 100 vehicles worth more than £3.4m have been jailed.

West Mercia Police said the 111 offences, between May and August 2024, sparked "the biggest conspiracy" the force has ever dealt with.

Worcester Crown Court heard that of 98 luxury vehicles, some valued in excess of £100,000, stolen, only 40 were recovered, one of which was found as far away as Azerbaijan.

Det Con Simon Lloyd said: "The volume of offences in such a short time span is unreal. The relentless nature at which this group operated was tireless and they just didn't stop. Every night it felt like they were out and about."

The group of 12 operated in Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Powys, Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Wiltshire, Berkshire and Cambridgeshire.

"We've found no real motive all through the investigation as to why they committed these offences," Lloyd said.

"You can only really put it down to greed, pure greed and pure disrespect for any public safety.

"It's one of the biggest [investigations] the UK has ever had, it's certainly the biggest conspiracy West Mercia Police has ever dealt with."

Sentencing the six, 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 wreaked 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."

On Friday Bradley Archer, 29, of Rynal Place, Evesham, Jimmy Doran, 22, of Evesham Road, Cleeve Prior, Eric Pearce, 29, of Plates Avenue, Cheltenham, and Shane Young, 34, of Battleton Road, Evesham were sentenced for two offences.

The men pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit burglary and one count of conspiracy to conceal/disguise/transfer/remove criminal property, during the same period.

Chance Gill, 27, of Eckington, Worcestershire, and Morgan Spiers, 27, of Stratford Road, Honeybourne, Evesham, were sentenced for the same offences, as well as additional driving offences and their part in burglaries between November 2024 and January 2025.

It comes after five others were sentenced on Thursday for their involvement, while a teenage defendant was sentenced at the end of last year.

Each defendant, aside from Spiers and Gill, was handed a concurrent sentence.

Spiers and Gill received a consecutive sentence taking into account their involvement with extra burglaries while on police bail.

• Archer - Seven years and six months (additional 93-month driving ban)
• Gill - 14 years (additional 10-year driving ban)
• Doran - 11 years and two months (additional 114-month driving ban)
• Pearce - 10 years and six months (additional 117-month driving ban)
• Spiers - 14 years (additional 21-year driving ban)
• Young - Eight years and four months (additional 95-month driving ban)

Lead investigator Det Con Joshua Hunt, said: "We hope the sentences handed out today will send a message that we will come after these gangs and prosecute where appropriate to get justice for those impacted by their offending."

Det Insp James Bamber 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."

After sentencing the six, Lockhart recommended the officers involved in the investigation be awarded commendations such was the "extraordinary" detail of their findings.

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