Nineteen people sentenced following a million pound criminal conspiracy

Ashley Halstead

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Nineteen people have been sentenced following a Greater Manchester Police investigation into a million pound criminal conspiracy - 14 of the convicted are from Rochdale.

Ashley Halstead and Timothy Ellor were ring-leaders of the conspiracy, that sold cars stolen during burglaries, made to appear legitimate to unsuspecting buyers via online market places.

Halstead, of Fairway, Castleton was sentenced to four years in prison, while Ellor, of Tameside was given a jail term of two years and four months at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.

The further 17 members of the group all pleaded guilty at their hearings. 

Cars were stolen and then "cloned" to take on the identity of a legitimate car, by finding legitimate registration numbers belonging to other cars of the same model.

The number plates changed and the registration number used to in adverts on-line, made available to prospective buyers for HPI checks.

To assist their deception, the group used stolen V5 vehicle registration documents, stolen road tax discs, personal details of innocent people, fraudulent MOT certificates, fabricated receipts of previous sales of the cars and bogus vehicle history check documents to create an impression of a legitimate history of the car.

The criminal network operated in three tiers; those who managed the list of cars, those who posed as sellers, and those who allowed the cars to be sold at their addresses.

More than 60 cars, of a total value £571,718, that had been stolen and cloned in this way, Greater Manchester Police discovered. Of these, 39 had been sold to innocent buyers, who paid a total of £280,000.

Offenders broke into the house of two victims in Didsbury, during the evening of Wednesday 30 March 2011. They stole the keys to a Land Rover Freelander, which was eventually sold to Cumbrian farmer, Adrian Bland. Mr Bland had spotted the car on the Auto Trader website and had travelled to a house on Canon Street in Rochdale to view the car.

The seller insisted on cash. After paying, he was handed the V5 vehicle registration document, which corresponded with the Rochdale address. The vehicle identification number matched the chassis number in the windscreen.

The car was later seized from the Bland family by Cumbria Police, and was identified as stolen from Didsbury.

Inquiries were carried out by Greater Manchester Police as part of named, Operation Fennel, which at the time had launched a proactive investigation into the conspiracy.

During an identification parade, the Mr Bland identified the defendant James Cliffe as the seller.

Analysis by the DVLA showed that the tax disc had not been attributed to any car, and was part of a batch that had been stolen from a Post Office in Manchester.

25 addresses in Tameside and Rochdale were targeted as part of the operation, and the defendants were arrested on 11 May 2011.

A valuation of all cars involved came to £650,000. Combined with the total monetary impact on the victims of the burglaries, the overall value of the conspiracy comes to more than £1 million.

Superintendent Neil Evans from Greater Manchester Police said: "Today's outcome is the culmination of a sensitive, large-scale and thoroughly planned police operation into an organised criminal network that laundered cash from cars that were stolen after people’s homes were broken into. In short, these people made money from burglaries.

"It is a priority for Greater Manchester Police to combat organised crime, reduce domestic burglary and tackle all stealing offences. We hope that operations such as this demonstrate our commitment to these priorities, and show that we will continue to try and make people feel safer in their homes.

Halstead, 40, who operated in Rochdale, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal and convert criminal property at an earlier hearing. In a separate matter, he was also sentenced for two counts of handling stolen goods, after pleading guilty for his part in Operation Trojan, which was a response to burglaries across Greater Manchester involving high-value cars.

Timothy Ellor joined Ashley Halstead on the 'top tier' of the enterprise and managed the list of cars and cloning process.

Ellor, 33, of Tameside, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal and convert criminal property. His involvement was limited to the Tameside area.

Andrew White, 27, of Blackthorn Close, Shawclough operated as a middle man between Ellor and Halstead and the sellers. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to convert criminal property. He was also dealt with for contempt of court after trying to sell a BMW that was subjected to a restraining order under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA). His total sentence was 20 months in prison.

A number of people posed as owners of the cars trying to sell them to prospective buyers, and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to convert criminal property:

Thomas Earnshaw, 23, of Newark Road, Syke was sentenced to eight weeks in prison, suspended for two years, and 120 hours unpaid work.

Dean Whitehead, 25, of Newark Road, Syke, was sentenced to two years and two months in prison.

Gareth Creavin, 28, of Waingap Rise, Syke, was sentenced to 10 weeks in prison.

Stephen Holmes, 27, of Chatburn Square, Castleton, was sentenced to a total of six months in prison.

James Cliffe, 40, of Mansfield Road, Bamford, was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for two years. Mr Cliffe admitted to being the seller of the Land Rover belonging to Abbie Jones and Ben East, including driving the car to the address in Rochdale and meeting Adrian Bland.

Kalvin Heaney , 22, of Newchurch Street, Rochdale, was sentenced to six months in prison.

Adam West, 25, of Jack Lane, Droylsden, Tameside, was sentenced to 14 months in prison.

Ryan Stone, 25, of St. Peters Close, Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside, was sentenced to 10 weeks in prison.

Carl Armstrong, 23, of Grange Close, Hyde, Tameside, was sentenced to six months in prison.

All pleaded guilty to conspiracy to convert criminal property:

Stacey Mead, 29, of Rooley Moor Road, Rochdale, was sentenced to a community order.

Eloise Scarr, 24, of Calderbrook Road, Littleborough, Rochdale, was sentenced to a 12-month community order of 60 hours unpaid work.

Victoria Bostosk, 30, of Canon Street, Smallbridge, Rochdale, was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for two years.

Kelly Riley, 34, of Greenock Drive, Heywood, Rochdale, was sentenced to a three-month curfew order.

Rachel Barker, 31, of Brotherod Hall Road, Rochdale, was sentenced to a 12-month community order of 60 hours unpaid work.

Sinead Hodgkinson, 29, of Newchurch Road, Rochdale, was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for two years.

Michelle Andrews, 32, of Victoria Road, Hyde, Tameside, was sentenced to a 12-month community order.