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Judge praises undercover police as car gang jailed
Criminals grabbed ignition keys and then stole expensive vehicles in £1.25m spree
Andrew Robinson
UNDERCOVER police officers have been singled out for their "courage and resourcefulness" in smashing a gang of car criminals who preyed on wealthy people across Yorkshire.
The 14-member gang stole 80 high-performance vehicles worth 1.25m during three months in 2004, when car keys were taken during house burglaries or sneak-ins.
Some of the vehicles were worth more than 50,000 but were offered for sale at around 1,000 or less.
Three of the gang were involved in supplying guns, including a Colt .38 pistol.
The gang's burglars were dubbed the "tea-time creepers" because they sneaked into homes just after people arrived home from work in their expensive cars, which included top-of-the-range BMWs, Range Rovers, Mercedes, a Porsche, a Lotus and Audis.
At Leeds Crown Court yesterday gang members were jailed for a total of 32 years with sentences ranging from eight years to nine weeks.
In one incident a man in Baildon, Bradford, ran from his home to discover his Mercedes had gone and a thief reversing his 48,000 Maserati sports car. But the Maserati's paddle-shift gears were too complicated for thief Dean Burnside, who jumped out and let it crash into the house, causing the 17,000 of damage to the car.
The court heard the gang was infiltrated by two police officers – "Andy" and "Danny" – who posed as buyers and used hidden cameras to catch the gang bragging about the number of cars they could supply.
One of the ringleaders was Dewsbury man Zakir Sheikh, 23, who offered to sell the officers cars worth 650,000 for just a fraction of their value.
Yesterday Sheikh, of Thornhill Estate, Staincliffe, Dewsbury, was jailed for seven years after he admitted conspiracy to handle stolen cars and supplying heroin and cocaine.
The stiffest sentence, eight years, was handed to Kevin Gawthorpe, 24, of Thackray Road, Bradford, who admitted conspiracy to burgle and conspiracy to supply firearms.
Judge Jennifer Kershaw QC praised the undercover officers, saying: "I was struck when watching the footage of the undercover officers by their courage and resourcefulness. There has been a monumental amount of work by the police and prosecution."
After the case, Det Insp Jon Hoyle, of West Yorkshire Police's drug and organised crime group, said: "These criminals were highly organised in their activities and were out committing crimes on almost a daily basis. Their actions brought misery to many households across the county.
"Their victims were honest, law-abiding people who had worked hard to buy themselves one of the main trappings of success – a prestige vehicle – and in a matter of minutes they were being deprived of them."
He added: "The sentences they have received should send a very clear message to those who think they can get away with making their living through organised crime."
The other men jailed, who all pleaded guilty, were: Matthew Holmes, 25, Harrogate Terrace, Bradford, who got four-and-a-half years for conspiracy to supply firearms; Dean Burnside, 23, Norbury Avenue, Ravenscliffe, Bradford, four years for conspiracy to burgle; Leslie Folkard, 30, Thackray Road, Ravenscliffe, 16 months for burglary and handling; Louis Jones, 24, Roundwood Avenue, Ravenscliffe, 17 months for handling; Gordon Lynch, 44, Roundwood Avenue, Ravenscliffe, 21 months for handling stolen cars and conspiracy to supply firearms; David Gow, 27, Findon Terrace, Ravenscliffe, six months for handling; Christopher McHugh, 19, Swinnow Green, Pudsey, Leeds, 13-and-a-half months for handling; Linval Depass, 21, Fagley Road, Bradford, 16 months for handling; Maqsood Motala, 22, Rose Dale House, Batley Carr, Dewsbury, nine weeks for handling; Nasir Sabir, 21, Roundwood Avenue, Bradford, three months for handling; and Omar Ridzwan, 30, Millbrook Gardens, Dewsbury, four months for handling. The 14th defendant was a youth who received two years custody for burglary and theft. He cannot be named for legal reasons.
andrew.robinson@ypn.co.uk
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Thursday 09 February 2012
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