Burglary gang sentenced to 78 years – four Harborough area shops among the 21 raids.
A CONVICTED criminal who used his ill-gotten gains to go and see a Ricky Hatton fight got the shock of his life when he arrived in Vegas.
Thanks to swift detective work by Leicestershire police, the convicted burglar was met at the airport by the American authorities who put him on the first plane back to England.
The disappointed fight fan was one of a 13-strong organised crime gang, who admitted to and were found guilty of, 17 burglaries across the country.
On Friday (Nov 6) at Leicester Crown Court, the gang were putting them behind bars for a total of 78 years and three months.
Codenamed 'Operation Marrowbone', the investigation centred around a series of ATM thefts in ten counties across England and Wales, where oxyacetylene cutting equipment had been used to get access to cash.
All but two of the burglaries were at Co-op stores, were they stole nearly 450,000 cash.
CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO VIEW CCTV FOOTAGE (footage taken from the raid at Glenfield Co-Op, Leicester, on 12/3/08 were 71,860 was taken)
http://www.leics.police.uk/news/2960_men_sentenced_to_total_of_78/media/21/
In the Harborough area, Desborough Co-op was targetted on May 30 last year, Broughton Astley Post Office on June 3, 2008, Houghton-on-the-Hill Co-op on October 22, 2008, and Fleckney Co-op on November 2, 2008.
The crooks got away with nothing in three of the raids but stole 10,330 from Fleckney Co-Op.
Their web of crime spread to Staffordshire, Lincs, Gloucestershire, Cheshire, Macclesfield, Cambridgeshire and Exeter.
Superintendent Phil Smith who led the investigation said: "The defendants have pleaded to a total of 17 burglaries which is a substantial number.
"In total over the entire course of our investigation we looked at 40 crimes that we believed were linked.
"The fact that, since we arrested and remanded the crime group there was only one further attack says a lot about the thoroughness of the investigation and those involved.
"Certainly the way they operated was very distinct and similar in all the crimes they pleaded to. They all involved Oxyacetylene cutting equipment which was often left at the scene, they all wore gloves and balaclavas and they all involved the use of two or more cars on cloned plates."
Burglaries of this nature have had a real impact on the businesses affected. Co-op themselves estimate the damage caused to their stores as a result of oxyacetylene burglaries to be well in excess of 3 million. They were victim to a total of 25 oxyacetylene ATM attacks in 2008 with a total cash loss of around 625,000.
In total, through the 8-month covert investigation leading up to the arrests and the subsequent 12-month investigation and case preparation that followed, detectives carried out 3,531 lines of enquiry they obtained 1602 statements, investigated 636 vehicles and seized 2881 items of property including Oxyacetylene cutting equipment, mobile phones, satellite navigation systems and balaclavas.
Superintendent Smith continued: "To say this was a huge enquiry was an understatement. It became very clear as the investigation progressed that this would require a dedicated team of specialist officers. We didn't do it alone however, officers from the Special Operations Unit and teams from Lincolnshire and Devon and Cornwall police also played a part.
"Out of the 25 Oxyacetylene ATM attacks at Co-op stores in 2008 we have been able today to get convictions in 15. These attacks caused great inconvenience to local communities, to whom the Co-op is often their local village store. Indeed, all the 17 premises targeted were local stores or post offices. We hope that today's conviction provides local people, local businesses and the Co-op the reassurance that the people responsible a huge proportion of these crimes are now behind bars."
CPS Leicestershire Senior District Crown Prosecutor, Lawrence English, said: "This was a complicated case of huge proportions. The large number of defendants and vast amount of evidence meant an experienced prosecutor was needed to oversee the prosecution process. We are delighted the strength of the case and hard work of both the police and the CPS meant most of the defendants admitted their part in the thefts, thus eliminating the need for trial.
"It was clear some of the defendants were involved with the organised crime group deeper than others. However, they have all played a part in a massive criminal operation which saw them steal hundreds of thousands of pounds from businesses across the country.
"These thieves went to considerable trouble to try to ensure they wouldn't be caught. Today, we are satisfied that justice has been served."
A spokesperson for Midlands Co-operative Society Limited, said: "Naturally, we are delighted with the court's ruling and that the perpetrators are now behind bars. Many of the ATMs attacked were located in our retail stores and the attacks not only caused considerable disruption for our customers, but also to our business, especially in Oakham, Rutland where the attack resulted in our store being completely destroyed by fire. The Society would like to thank the Leicestershire Constabulary for their commitment to bringing these individuals to justice."
Sean Underwood was arrested in January 2009 in Wigston Simon Bird was arrested in February after one of the addresses listed on a Sat Nav recovered at that burglary was for his home address Anthony Underwood, Thomas Calvert and Glen Morris were arrested in Leicester on 25 February.
Simon Bird (20/03/1975) of Cotley Road, Leicester.
Pleaded to burglaries at Holmes Chapel (Cheshire), Macclesfield, Moulton (Cheshire), Exeter
Sentenced to: 6 years
Thomas Calvert (28/09/1984) of Elm Tree Avenue, Glenfield
Pleaded to burglaries at Mitcheldean (Gloucester), Houghton on the Hill, Spalding (Lincolnshire), Woodhall Spa
Sentenced to: 6 years
Ricky Gene Downes (27/04/1981) of Mount Road, Cosby
Pleaded to burglaries at St Neots (Cambridgeshire), Glenfield, Tean (Staffordshire), Fleckney
Sentenced to: 6 years plus 2 months from a previous suspended sentence (to run consecutively)
Lee Faulkner (31/07/1978) of Buddon Close, Beaumont Leys
Pleaded to burglaries at Mitcheldean (Gloucester), Spalding (Lincolnshire), Moulton (Cheshire), Exeter
Sentenced to: 6 years
Oliver Gent (19/09/1979) of Slade Close, Thorpe Astley, Leicester
Pleaded to burglaries at Churchdown (Gloucestershire) Macclesfield, Mouton (Cheshire)
Sentenced to: 5 years 4 months
Craig Jones (17/09/1974) of Woodshawe Rise, Braunstone
Pleaded to burglaries at St Neots (Cambridgeshire)
Sentenced to: 4 years
Glenn Morris (20/05/1982) of Ambleside Drive, Leicester
Pleaded to burglaries at Desborough, Earls Barton, Broughton Astley, Tean (Staffordshire); Fleckney
Sentenced to: 6 years 8 months
Robert Rourke (18/10/1977) of Bluegates, Beaumont Leys
Pleaded to burglaries at Houghton on the Hill, Spalding, Woodhall Spa, Churchdown (Gloucestershire), Holmes Chapel (Cheshire), Macclesfield, Moulton Cheshire, Exeter
Sentenced to: 8 years
Jamie Sylvester (31/05/1984) of Glenhills Boulevard, Leicester
Pleaded to burglaries at Exeter
Sentenced to: 4 years plus 5 months of a previously suspended sentence to run consecutively
Anthony Underwood (14/10/70) of Federation Street, Enderby
Found guilty of burglaries at Tean (Staffordshire) and Heckington (Lincolnsire)
Sentenced to: 7 years
Mark Wayne Underwood (19/12/1981) of Littlegarth, Leicester
Pleaded to burglaries at St Neots (Cambridgeshire), Desborough (Northamptonshire), Ears Barton, Fleckney. Also pleaded to Dangerous Driving
Sentenced to: 7 years 8 months
Shane Underwood (23/05/1980) of Stanton Row, Leicester
Pleaded to burglaries at Houghton on the Hill, Spalding, Woodhall Spa, Holmes Chapel (Cheshire), Macclesfield, Moulton (Cheshire), Exeter
Sentenced to: 8 years
Sean Underwood ( 28/02/1990) of Denman Lane, Huncote
Pleaded to burglary at Exeter
Sentenced to: 3 years
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