Three brothers have been jailed for more than ten years in total after “wreaking havoc” across the eastern region during a crime spree which saw them commit more than 200 offences.
Shane Parker, 24, of Sandacres Caravan site, Braintree, Wayne Parker, 25, of the same address, and Richard Parker, 32, of Dixons Hill Road, Hatfield, stole between £75,000 and £99,000 worth of goods from businesses and cars last year.
They pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal and conspiracy to burgle following an investigation by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) and were sentenced to three and a half years each at Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday.
In September and November 2018, the brothers would use stolen Audi cars to travel between counties, breaking into businesses and cars and stealing items - in particular power tools.
Various crimes were committed in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, and tools were stolen from vans parked in hotels in Dunstable, Luton, Braintree, and Hemel Hempstead.
They also broke into businesses in Basildon, Chelmsford, and St Albans.
The brothers would regularly change number plates on the cars to avoid being caught, and would then return the stolen vehicle to its hiding place in Essex and travel home in their own personal cars.
The trio would then meet with a stolen goods handler in Dunstable to sell on their stolen property.
The handler, James Nevin, 34, of Winslow Road, Milton Keynes, was also sentenced on Friday after pleading guilty to three counts of handling stolen goods. He was jailed for 10 months.
Summing up, Judge Jonathan Seely said: "The offences were motivated by greed and they didn't give a tuppence about their actions."
DI Andy Duddle, from ERSOU, said: "These three men wreaked havoc on areas across the eastern region, committing crimes on a daily basis in a ruthless and indiscriminate manner.
"On some occasions it's believed they committed more than 30 offences in one night.
"Stealing tools from vehicles and breaking into business properties are far from victimless crimes. The types of items the brothers were stealing were high value power tools which cost a lot to replace and which some people rely upon in order to be able to do their job and bring in a wage.
"We're committed to tackling cross border acquisitive crime such as this across the east of England as we recognise the serious impact this has on people on businesses so we're glad the four men are now facing justice."
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