The ringleaders of a “highly sophisticated” car theft gang who stole 107 high-value vehicles worth more than £2m over an eight-month period have been jailed.
George Berry and Benjamin Cross, both from Southampton, led a gang of 12 thieves who stole cars mostly from driveways while their owners were asleep, Hampshire Constabulary said.
The gang used signal boosters to trick keyless ignition vehicles that the key fob was close by so it could be unlocked and ‘signal jammers’ to prevent vehicles from being locked in the first place, with the owner unaware the key fob had not worked.
They would then “return in the middle of the night to drive the unlocked cars away,” a Hampshire Constabulary spokesman said.
They took the cars, 76 of which were stolen from addresses in Hampshire, 28 from Dorset and three from Wiltshire, between February and October 2023, to a “chop shop” to be stripped for parts.
The makes included Land Rover, Range Rover, Jaguar, Mercedes, Audi, Bentley, Lexus, Hyundai, Citroen and Ford as well as motorcycles and Ford vans containing thousands of pounds worth of tools.
Berry, 32, and Cross, 25, who played “leading roles in the conspiracy”, were jailed for 56 months and 64 months respectively at Southampton Crown Court on Thursday.
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They were both convicted of conspiracy to steal motor vehicles, conspiracy to handle stolen goods, and possession of criminal property. Cross, from the Bursledon area of the city, was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice.
Detective Constable Paul Beasley said: “The vast majority of the vehicles were stolen by these thugs in the middle of the night from driveways as the owners slept.
The victims suffered both “vast” financial hurt and mental harm from the distress of losing their vehicles, the officer said.
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“For many people, having their car stolen can completely disrupt their day-to-day lives as these are relied upon so much for their work commutes, school runs, grocery shopping and social lives.”
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Bradley Paddick, 22, of Southampton, was jailed for 36 months for conspiracy to steal motor vehicles and conspiracy to handle stolen goods.
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Rachael Moran, 31, of Southampton, was jailed for a year, suspended for 18 months, for possession of criminal property. Charlotte Traves, 24, of Bursledon, Southampton, was given an 18-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months for possession of criminal property and perverting the course of justice.
Seven other members of the conspiracy are to be sentenced next month.
