£1M Car and Motorcycle Theft Gang Jailed
A Coventry gang has been convicted of car and motorcycle thefts worth an estimated £1 million
Five men have been convicted of conspiracy to steal an estimated one million pounds worth of cars and motorcycles in the city between 2022 and 2023.
The gang prayed on the owners of high-end and luxury SUVs, cars and motorcycles, which were stolen and then sold on to others. West Midlands Police reports that their offences included car key burglaries as well as car-jackings, with the five defendants being charged with a total of 47 separate offences.
The investigation into the thefts is said to be one of the most extensive ever carried out by the Coventry Local Policing Area, and involved the force poring over hours of self-shot social media footage. Like so many other criminals, the Coventry gang were stupid enough to highlight their activity, posting pictures and videos of themselves with the stolen property on social media. The police then had to piece this, along with text messages the gang had sent to each other, together, to build a picture of the structure of the group and to secure a conviction.
That conviction means that Jason O'Farrell, Kian O'Shea, Deacon Cumberbatch, Tyrone Henn and a teenager, who can’t be named for legal reasons, have now been convicted, with sentencing hearings due to begin in March.
West Midlands Police also confirmed in the statement that in total, 24 of the stolen vehicles have so far been recovered.
Speaking about the conviction, Chief Superintendent Paul Drover, said:
“These five young men were among the most wanted offenders in Coventry and were responsible for a staggering amount of offences.
"The thefts, burglaries and car-jackings this group carried out had a devastating impact on the victims, not just financially, but mentally.
"During the investigation we really saw how brazen they all were and their casual attitude towards their offending.
“Officers from teams across the Coventry LPA, especially from our Investigations department, played a huge part in identifying and bringing in these five.
“All the officers involved can be rightly proud of the work they have put in to secure this result.
"Taking these five prolific offenders off the streets will send out a strong message about how seriously we take vehicle crime."
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
