AN East London-based burglary gang who stole more than half a million pounds worth of high-end performance cars have been jailed.
On Tuesday Snaresbrook Crown Court heard that the Met Police’s Territorial Policing Crime Squad set up the special operation that finally ensnared the gang to combat a high number of burglaries of cars such as Audis, Mercedes and Porsches in the boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge between January and June 2009.
During their spree last year the gang stole 25 high value vehicles worth around £520,000. The gang identified properties with high value cars sitting in the driveways before breaking in to the premises by popping the front door locks in order to steal the car keys of householders.
Some victims even saw their vehicles being driven away as they rushed out onto their driveways - and one burglary involved a Special Constable confronting the gang as they were disturbed trying to steal his car off the driveway in Billericay.
It is thought that the vehicles were being stolen to order and then placed on false registration plates and moved across London and out of the UK.
Four of the gang were sentenced on Tuesday, with two others having been previously dealt with.
The four men sentenced on Tuesday were Thomas Dickinson, 21, of Milverton Gardens, Seven Kings, Ilford, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle, was sentenced to three years; Petras Aleknavicious, 27, of 29 Markyate Road, Dagenham, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to handle stolen goods, was sentenced to four years;
Vitalijus Matulis, 29, of Campsey Road, Barking, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to handle stolen goods, possession of false identification (Driving Licence) and possession of a false passport, was sentenced to six years and Daniel Rene, 26, of 25 Leamington Gardens, Ilford, who was found guilty of conspiracy to burgle after originally denying the charge, was sentenced to five years.
Two other members of the gang had previously been handed prison sentences in March 2009 at Snaresbrook Crown Court.
They are Robbie Duff, 23, of Milverton Gardens, Ilford, who pleaded guilty to three residential burglaries and asked for 23 further burglaries to be taken into consideration, was sentenced to five years in jail and Dean Carey, 26, of Milverton Gardens, Ilford, who had pleaded guilty to burglary and theft, received three years imprisonment.