Three burglars have been locked up because of their role in a conspiracy to steal high-quality luxury cars from under their noses.
Five of the six planned break-ins took place while unsuspecting inmates were sound asleep.
Ignition keys were stolen and used to haul prestige vehicles from homes in Loughborough and Coalville, Leicestershire and Thrapston, Northamptonshire – with a total loot of more than £ 300,000.
READ MORE – Police negotiators called after a man was stabbed and the suspect refused to leave the property
Hayden Mills, 26, with his accomplices Keaton Riddell, 25, and Jordan Hanlon, 27, all pleaded guilty to breaking into homes and stealing cars in July 2019.
Andrew Peet, prosecutor, told Leicester Crown Court: “This was properly planned, targeted crime.
“Fortunately, the victims weren’t bothered, but that’s more luck than judgment.”
The stolen cars were four BMWs, an Audi and a Nissan, valued between £ 18,500 and £ 80,000.
In addition to losing a £ 67,000 vehicle, a Coalville homeowner had stolen a Rolex watch and £ 28,000 cash.
The Birmingham-based crooks are said to have carried out reconnaissance drives and identified high-quality vehicles before the thefts.
Mr. Peet said, “CCTV footage shows they were masked to protect their identity, but also with the added threat of masked intruders should they be disturbed by a homeowner during the break-in – even though no residents were involved in a confrontation .
“Mill also had a barrier where the group could take the cars to hide them and then further hide them by changing their identity.”
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The prosecutor said Mills and Riddell carried out three break-ins in Loughborough on the night of July 26-27, 2019.
The first break-in into Nicholson Road was largely unsuccessful because the owner was on the road – and he had taken his car keys with him.
The house was “ransacked” by the burglars who took a Dyson set and “expensive stereo”, but the car could not be driven away.
Another £ 51,000 vehicle was stolen in a break-in on Patterdale Drive and another £ 18,500 was taken off Park Road.
Mills and Hanlon then both targeted two houses in Thrapston on July 28, 2019, first taking a £ 50,000 car from Wainwright Way and two others valued at £ 115,000 from an address in Tyler Way, though one was found abandoned nearby. due to transmission errors.
Mills alone was involved in a break-in near Belvoir Road in Coalville on July 28th when a family slept all the time.
Her £ 67,000 Nissan GTR, £ 28,000 cash and a Rolex watch were taken away.
The public prosecutor said that kitchen knives were later found in the living room and in the garden, but their purpose is unclear.
The Rolex was later retrieved from Mill’s bedroom.
He lied and told officers that it was given to him by a friend and that it was a fake if it was “proven to be real”.
Mr Peet said all three of the defendants had previous convictions for home burglary.
Christopher Whitehead, mitigation for Mills, said his client was already on duty [five year and seven month] Punishment for a robbery dating the break-ins.
He said, “He takes responsibility for being part of a group in the conspiracy.
“He has health problems from having his spleen removed and he is the father of a young daughter who was born in custody.”
Cathlyn Orchard for Hanlon said, “He was just involved in the two Thrapston offenses.
“He was busy for most of his adult life, but got into a downward spiral in a car accident after the death of a friend and became involved in class A drugs.” Hanlon’s partner is pregnant with her child, the court was told.
Ms. Orchard added: “He deeply regrets the effects of his insult and deeply regrets his involvement on that one night in July two years ago.”
Ekwall Tiwana, tempering Riddell, said: “He played a role in the three break-ins at Loughborough, not the others.
“He says he’s really sorry for what he did when he was addicted to cocaine and desperate for money.
“His attitude has changed radically since then, and references describe him as mature and reliable.
“He’s a full-time parent to his daughter and no longer spends thousands of pounds on drug addiction.”
Mills, of Dixon Close, Birmingham, was sentenced to five years in prison to run concurrently with the robbery sentence he is already serving.
Riddell, of Davenport Drive, Birmingham, and Hanlon, of Lydgate Grove, Birmingham, were jailed for four years and two months, respectively.