Three members of a car key burglary gang who targeted vehicles across the Midlands have been sentenced to a total of nearly 24 years at a court hearing on Friday (27 February).
Kian Davies, 25, and Connor O’Keefe-Clancey, 21, who are already in prison, and Ethan Beresford, 25, of Ely Close, Birmingham, were each found guilty of one count of conspiring to commit burglary and one count of conspiring to steal a motor vehicle at Redditch Crown Court.
The three were responsible for a series of ten car key burglaries in February and March of last year that took place in West Mercia, namely the Bromsgrove and Lickey areas, as well as Earlswood in Warwickshire, and addresses in Staffordshire and Northamptonshire.
Davies, O’Keefe-Clancey and Beresford were a burglary gang who stole cars after breaking into their victims’ properties with a modus operandi of gaining access to the homes by lock snapping and blow torching the locks.
Davies received a total sentence of seven years and five months (89 months), O’Keefe-Clancey got seven years and seven months (91 months) and Beresford got six years and six months (78 months).
Beresford was further convicted of burglary and attempted burglary for which he got 28 months consecutively and 24 months concurrently respectively as well as theft for which there was no separate penalty, bringing his total to eight years and nine months (106 months) and a total for all three of 23 years and 10 months (286 months).
The three were identified following a complex investigation conducted by officers DC Jodi Lothian and DC Max Beswick under the experienced supervision of DS Kirsty Hill in the north Worcestershire CID team.
Mobile phone examinations revealed the extent of their conspiracy to burgle properties and steal cars, sometimes threatening occupants with violence as they fled. Phone mast data also placed them at the scenes of the crimes.
Once they had stolen the keys, they would steal and move on the vehicles – often high value ones such as BMWs, Mercedes and Audis – while travelling around in a VW Golf R which was on false or cloned numberplates.
DS Kirsty Hill of north Worcestershire Proactive CID said: “This was a complex investigation, so we are pleased to get these sentences for Davies, O’Keefe-Clancey and Beresford whose car key burglaries harmed many people in our force area and neighbouring forces too.
“We understand it often seems like car thieves get away with it but hopefully this result shows we will always work hard to bring such criminals to justice and try to halt the impact their actions have on our communities.”