Trio jailed for car crime spree

Trevor and David Jones captured on CCTV in one of the stolen vehicles.

A gang of thieves who supplied stolen cars to criminal gangs have today (Thursday 9 July) been jailed.

Three men were involved in a number of thefts across Greater Manchester, including one in Rochdale.

Trevor Jones, 27, from Farnworth, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal motor vehicles between 17 January and 31 July 2008 and four counts of driving while disqualified and was jailed for 16 months at Bolton Crown Court.

John Paul Perritt, 29, from Kearsley, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal motor vehicles between 17 January and 31 July 2008, dangerous driving and four counts of driving while disqualified and was jailed for two years and four months.

David Warren Jones, 26, from Kearsley, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal motor vehicles between 17 January and 31 July 2008 and was given a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for two years.

One of the crimes the trio were involved in included the theft of a Ford Mondeo from Thrush Street, Rochdale on 14 February 2008. Telephone evidence shows Perritt calling Jones from the vicinity of the car, which was never recovered by police.

All three men were arrested on Wednesday 12 November 2008, after officers from the Proactive Vehicle Crime Unit executed warrants at three houses.

The trio of so called "Ice Bandits", acted predominantly as opportunistic thieves, stealing cars that had been left unattended and with the engines running on frosty mornings.

Stolen cars would often be abandoned a short distance away and left for several hours. This was to determine whether the car had a tracking device fitted.

The stolen cars, which were usually Golf's, Vectra's or similar, would almost instantly be fitted with false plates. The group also stole a number of commercial vehicles, such as Transit vans.

Sometimes the cars would be sold privately, leaving the unsuspecting purchaser massively out of pocket.

They were also sold onto criminal gangs and used in further offences.

John Perritt and Trevor Jones were identified as the main men responsible for the operation and became the subject of a surveillance operation.

David Jones' main involvement was as a driver. He was the only legal driver of the three and he would often take Perritt and Jones to trips around Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Yorkshire and Lancashire.

Superintendent Andy Durkin said: "I am delighted we have been able to bring these three career criminals to justice.

"This operation came about following a spate of car thefts and it soon became clear that those involved had further underworld connections and were able to move the cars on quickly. In some cases they would steal to order.

"I am certain the scale of their operation went way beyond those offences that they have admitted. They ran a lucrative 'business' and without exaggeration pocketed tens, if not hundreds of thousands of pounds from their criminality.

"I must credit the officers who spent months working on this operation. Their endeavours have truly been rewarded with today's sentences.

"I hope it acts as a stark reminder to others not to leave car keys in the ignition, even for a moment. Whether on a cold winter's morning or a hot summer's day, it only took these men seconds to steal from their victims.

"We have seen a massive drop in this type of crime since they were arrested and clearly the streets are a lot safer with them behind bars."