Two men from Yorkshire have been jailed for a burglary conspiracy targeting prestigious housing estates in Harrogate.

Shaun Andrew Finley, 34, of Goldthorpe, Barnsley, and Stephen William Case, 43, of Dunscroft, Doncaster, targeted new build developments in North Yorkshire.

They travelled from South Yorkshire to steal from properties in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Killinghall, Kirk Hammerton and Dishforth.

Between 1 June and 15 December 2020, they targeted prestigious new build developments 22 times where they removed newly installed boilers, furniture and equipment belonging to the various building companies and contractors.

From left to right: Shaun Andrew Finley and Stephen William Case. The South Yorkshire men have been jailed for a high-value burglary conspiracy which targeted boilers, furniture and building equipment from housing developments in the Harrogate District of North Yorkshire. Photo: South Yorkshire Police

The burglary conspiracy amounted to more than £143,000.

They specifically targeted houses that were ready for occupation. This caused disruption and upset to the homebuyers and added cost and inconvenience to the developers.

North Yorkshire Police were able to identify a pattern in the burglaries and able to place the vans and cars they were using – often driving in convoy – in and around the new build locations that they burgled.

They also uncovered that Finley and Case were actively avoiding detection by registering, and insuring, their vehicles in the names of innocent members of the public. They also used cloned registration plates. This resulted in the arrest of two men who had nothing to do with the crimes, as well as numerous speeding tickets.

The pair were sentenced at York Crown Court on Friday, June 16.

Finley was sent to prison for five years.

Case was jailed for four years and two months.

At the sentencing, Judge Sean Morris commended the work of Detective Sergeant Steve Peachman, the now retired Detective Sergeant Marcus Dawson, and Analyst Libby Edison for the effective investigation which secured the convictions.

The Judge said they are “a credit to North Yorkshire Police and the people of North Yorkshire”.

DS Steve Peachman, from Operation Expedite, said: “The outcome of our investigation shows that if you choose to embark on conspiracies with organised crime groups, you can expect lengthy custodial sentences.

“We proved that Finley and Case were principal participants in committing crime in North Yorkshire.

“They used a high degree of sophistication, but it was not enough to escape justice.

“North Yorkshire Police will continue to pursue and seek prosecutions against those involved in organised crime.”

Yorkshire burglars targeted prestigious, new-build housing estates in Harrogate