Jail for criminal gang who stole string of vehicles
THIEVES ARE ORDERED TO REPAY £250,000 IN PROCEEDS
AN organised crime gang who stole a string of vehicles across the North have been ordered to pay back almost £250,000 after police vowed to “hit them where it hurts”.
Tony Curtis, Jordan Russell, David Carter and Liam Williams travelled to multiple addresses to steal 18 vehicles, some worth in excess of £10,000.
Over a three-month period, the group hatched a plan to steal Ford Fiestas and Transit vans from various addresses across Lancashire and Yorkshire.
The group then sold the vehicles in the North East but detectives from the North East Regional Special Operations Unit (NERSOU) soon caught wind of their organised crime.
An investigation was subsequently launched under the name of Operation Rose leading the four men to be snared by officers. In September 2019, the men pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal motor vehicles and were jailed.
Confiscation orders to the value of £249,649 were also granted earlier this year under the Proceeds of Crime Act – meaning the group must pay back the cost of their crimes.
Curtis, 30, of Ripley Ave, North Tyneside, who was jailed for 28 months, was given a confiscation order of £99,779, while Russell, 22, of St Oswalds Road, Wallsend, who was jailed for 19 months was given a confiscation order of £81,185.
After being jailed for 14 months, Carter, 30, of Alston Close, Wallsend was given a confiscation order of £22,700, while Williams, 22, of Whitley Road, Whitley Bay, who was jailed for 13 months was given a confiscation order of £45,985.
Detective
Constable
Gillian
Coulson, the officer in charge of the case, said: “The Proceeds of Crime Act is an incredible tool for law enforcement as it means offenders are made to pay back the cost of their illicit activity in more than one way.
“Sadly, for some offenders, prison is not a strong enough deterrent which is why we need to hit them where it hurts, prey on their greed and prevent them from seeing any kind of benefit to a life of crime.”
Criminals who face a financial investigation are given a benefit order in the first instance which is the amount police believe they have benefited from crime.
Then, their current assets are assessed and a confiscation order to that amount is made out.
While no assets were identified for the four men, the confiscation orders can be revisited at any
point in the future meaning any further earnings, pensions, lump sums can be confiscated.
Det Con Coulson added: “Our communities can be assured we are not only tackling those individuals involved in serious and organised crime as part of Operation Sentinel, but we are also preventing further offending by ensuring they are stripped of everything that criminal lifestyle afforded them.
“A financial investigation can be revisited if we think an offender has come into money again and not paid off the total amount of their benefit order. With this in mind, we ask that members of the public are vigilant and if you see someone living beyond their means, or know that someone is leading a luxury lifestyle and something doesn’t add up, please get in touch with us.”