Five members of a gang responsible for stealing high-value Range Rovers across Cheshire, Trafford and Rochdale were jailed for a total of 14 years and one month at Manchester Crown Court on Friday 14th October.
Michael Andrews, 33, of Ansdell Road, Rochdale received three years nine months imprisonment, as did Faisal Hussain, 29, of Shaw Road, Royton. Nazish Shakeel, 30, of Northmoor Road, Longsight was locked up for three years seven months and Jonathan Langley, 28, of St Mary's Close, Rochdale, received three years. Shaun Andrews, 28, of Ansdell Road, Rochdale, received 19 months in prison, suspended for 18 months.
All five pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal the high-value vehicles, and all defendants, except for Shaun Andrews, also pleaded guilty to going equipped for theft.
The thefts, which occurred between April 18th and May 12th 2022, were part of a 11-car conspiracy that saw Range Rovers, Range Rover Sports and a Land Rover Sport, worth anywhere between £65,000 and over £100,000 each. They were stolen from a variety of locations, including supermarket car parks, town centres and private driveways across Alderley Edge, Altrincham, Hale, Hale Barns, Poynton, and Rochdale.
GMP ended the gang's theft spree on May 13th 2022, when the force's Tactical Vehicle Intercept Unit (TVIU) stopped the blue BMW they were travelling in. They were found to have used signal jammers, to interfere with key fob frequency, preventing owners from locking the doors to their vehicles properly, as well as a skeleton key.
One of the men was found to have £19,000 in cash at his home address, which has since been confiscated under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).
Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Walton in Trafford said: "This is an excellent result for Trafford Neighbourhood Crime Team. Here at GMP, we are committed to bringing car thieves such as these to justice, ensuring they are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
"We would encourage anyone who has a high-value car to double check the doors are physically locked before walking away from their car and when at home consider keeping their keys in the faraday bags.
"We can be contacted via the website gmp.police.uk, by dialling 101 or information can be passed anonymously via the independent charity – Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. In an emergency, always dial 999."
Photos: Michael Andrews, Faisal Hussain, Nazish Shakeel, Jonathan Langley.
