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Gang jailed for £600,000 car raids on homes
A GANG of so-called Hanoi burglars who stole more than £600,000 worth of cars from homes across five counties have been jailed.
Brothers Neil and Kyle Whitaker, and Louis Jones stole 35 vehicles as well as more than 40,000 of other goods, travelling miles to target victims as they slept in their homes.
In many raids they snapped the locks to break in and then steal car keys. In others, they simply kicked through doors.
Leeds Crown Court heard yesterday the Bradford-based gang targeted homes as far south as Chesterfield, to Thirsk and Richmond in the north, and from Market Weighton in the east to Accrington in Lancashire.
In one of the burglaries a woman holding a baby was confronted after her door was kicked in, and in another raid a double-barrel shotgun was stolen.
In another raid, the home of a family with three young children was targeted and an Audi A4 worth 26,000 stolen.
During 38 burglaries spanning almost two years, 35 vehicles were stolen including a BMW, Audi A4s and even a Motability vehicle.
One car valued at 18,000 has been written off and 13 vehicles worth more than 190,000 have not been recovered.
Most of the burglaries were at night and the owners were at home when the gang struck.
They also stole laptops, designer handbags and sunglasses, and mobile phones.
Some of the cars were later found with false plates.
The three were jailed yesterday having earlier admitted conspiracy to commit burglary.
Sentencing them, Recorder Deborah Sherwin said they were some of the most serious house burglaries.
She said: "These offences caused devastation to household after household with many people feeling afraid and insecure in their own homes. I am satisfied that the main motivation was one of greed. It may be that it started out with you having debts, but I am equally satisfied that this presented itself as an opportunity for easy money.
Kyle Whitaker, 21, of Poplarwood Gardens, Bradford, was jailed for five years.
His brother Neil, 26, of Sandholme Drive, Bradford, was jailed for four years and eight months.
Jones, 27, of Fencote Crescent, Bradford, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.
Neil Whitaker's partner Kirsty Clay, of Sandholme Drive, Bradford, had earlier admitted perverting the course of justice and handling stolen goods.
The 23-year-old was given a two-year community order and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid community work. She also received a one year supervision order.
After the hearing West Yorkshire Police said that they reached a major breakthrough in the case using automatic number-plate recognition cameras to track the gang's movements.
The cameras identified the stolen vehicles being driven back into the city followed by cars registered to the suspects.
Speaking after the hearing Detective Inspector Mark Pronger, who led the investigation, said: "These are prolific criminals whose activities brought misery to a large number of victims across the north of England. As well as having their property stolen, victims had to suffer the trauma of having their homes invaded while they slept at night.
"These thieves were brought to justice by good old-fashioned detective work assisted by new technology and with assistance from our colleagues across the region. This case should illustrate the determined efforts we will continue to make to catch and convict burglars who think they can prey on people and get away with it."
Hanoi-style burglaries are named after Operation Hanoi - the first operation by West Yorkshire Police aimed at stamping them out.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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