A gang of burglars from Birmingham are behind bars after an investigation by detectives linked them to break-ins across the Great Barr area of the city between April and August last year.
The men were responsible for targeting four addresses altogether, including the home of a woman with multiple sclerosis, whose condition has since worsened as a direct result of the burglary.
Police began looking into the gang when getaway driver Adam White was arrested at the scene of the first offence on 28 April 2013 after being spotted sitting in a car outside the house.
The 27-year-old and his mates hadn’t realised they’d triggered a silent alarm, sparking an immediate police response. Two of them ran away but White was boxed in by officers as he tried to escape.
His three accomplices were identified some weeks later after they smashed their way into another addresses on 23 June and stole a pair of silver ankle bracelets.
CCTV from the house showed them being dropped off in a car identical to the one owned by White’s mum. It also captured them running away when the burglar alarm went off.
In other footage from a parade of shops around the corner the gang were seen getting rid of their clothing. They were later identified from this CCTV as Reece Parkes, Billy Thomas and Scott Foley.
All three were arrested on 22 August when police raided and searched their home addresses. Gold stolen during one of the burglaries was found at the side of White’s property.
One of the victims submitted an impact statement to Birmingham Crown Court describing the effect it has had on his wife − who suffers with multiple sclerosis.
The man, who wants to remain anonymous, said: “It has been a very stressful and upsetting experience and has had a huge impact on my family and home life.
“The incident has had more of an effect on my wife as she does not want to be left at home alone at any time of the day or night anymore. She still has trouble sleeping.
“So great was the effect that we asked a friend to move in around two weeks after the burglary and they only moved out on 31 December 2013, having spent almost six months living at our home.”
Parkes, 22, of Cypress Road, Walsall, was jailed for three years and eight months on Wednesday (17 September) whilst Thomas, 21, of Hamstead Road, Hamstead and Foley, 22, of South Road, Erdington, were handed sentences of three years and six months. White, of Holland Road, Hamstead, was jailed for three years and three months.
Detective Sergeant David Bebb, from Birmingham CID, said: “This was an intelligent and organised group of lads who were making a living out of burgling people’s homes. But they were greedy and it was only a matter of time before we caught up with them and gathered the evidence we needed to lock them up.”
The CCTV from the burglaries was damning and other footage used as part of the case showed White at a shop in West Bromwich in the company of others who were convicted separately of possessing criminal property. An analysis of phone records also uncovered text messages on men’s mobiles which incriminated them even further.
One sent from Foley’s phone discussed committing car key burglaries, normally targeting houses “when no-one is in” and “with cars on the drive”. Other deleted texts showed Foley in communication with Thomas where he tells him that he just “saw the whole family going out.”
They all initially jointly faced a charge of conspiracy to commit burglary but pleaded guilty to individual and separate burglary matters at court.
DS Bebb added: “They didn’t care who they targeted or what impact their actions had on hard-working members of society and I’m glad they are now behind bars where they belong.
“It’s sad when anyone falls victim to a gang like this but on the occasions where it is someone who is already battling real adversity, it makes their offending all the more sickening.”
News of the sentences comes as burglary rates continue to fall across Birmingham with 440 offences so far this year compared to 466 during the same period in 2013 − equating to 26 fewer victims.
Anyone who has any concerns about crime in their area can contact their local neighbourhood team on 101 or find out more by typing their postcode into the West Midlands Police website.
Mugshots and CCTV stills: https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/latest-news/news.aspx?id=1703 (moving footage unavailable).
