Members of an organised crime gang who netted almost £1m involved in more than 100 burglaries across Norfolk, Suffolk and the east of England, have been jailed for a total of more than 20 years.
High-value jewellery and cars were targeted during the burglaries which took place in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and the London area.
In total damage valued at around £60,000 was caused during 102 burglaries in a six-month crime spree where items valued at a total of £970,000 was recovered.
Properties in Norfolk, including Poringland and Woodton; Newmarket, Hoxne, Hengrave, Haghley Green and Barrow in Suffolk, and Fordham in Cambridgeshire were targeted by gang.
Ringleader Luke Wall and his girlfriend Teresa Connors, of Tilbury, Robert Butler, of Romford, Kyle Shillingford, of no fixed address, and Joseph Mahon, of Cambridge, were sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court yesterday.
Wall, Shillingford, Mahon, and Connors had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary. Butler had denied the offence, but was convicted after a trial.
Wall, 24, was jailed for eight years, Butler, 31, was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment, while Shillingford, 27, received 28 months in custody. Mahon, 20, was jailed for 40 months.
Connors, the 20-year-old mother of Wall's three children, was given an eight-month prison term.
Sentencing the quintet Judge John Devaux told them: 'All of you played a part in a campaign of burglary of houses covering a wide area between March and September of last year - over some 100 properties - and it's likely that others not before the court today also took part.'
The court was told as well as the thefts homes were left ransacked, graffiti was daubed on some of the properties, some had the water left running causing flooding and there was gratuitous damage.
'A blatant disregard for victims'
Inspector Paul Maleary, who was the senior investigating officer in the case, said: 'The investigation team brought about conspiracy evidence for more than 100 burglaries committed by different members of this group.
'I suspect that they probably committed many more.
'Wall in particular showed a blatant disregard for the victims' feelings as often sentimental items of jewellery were stolen that have not been recovered.
'He drove so dangerously on a number of occasions when police attempted to stop him and placed the police and the public in such danger that any pursuit was immediately cancelled on the grounds of public safety.'
•Have you got a crime story? Email peter.walsh@archant.co.uk
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