A Leeds gang who stole £1.5 million pounds worth of goods by targeting lorry drivers who were parked on rest breaks have been jailed.
The group armed themselves with knives and metal bars and would slash open the curtain side or force open the back doors, before ransacking the heavy goods vehicles.
They raided lorries across the country between November 2017 and May 2018, and during a long-term investigation, West Yorkshire Police found the group were travelling in convoy to and from an address in Finch Drive, Colton.
Lorries were targeted while parked at various locations, including Hartshead Moor Services on the M62, Cherlwell Valley Services near Oxford, Chandler’s Ford in Hampshire, Trowell Services in Nottinghamshire and Corley Services in Coventry.
They stole alloy wheels, tyres, power tools, hair straighteners, cosmetics, face cream, jewellery and men’s and women’s clothing, and some of these items were recovered from properties and storage containers during police raids.
Eight members of the gang have been convicted and sentenced for their role, however, police say "it is believed a number of other unidentified individuals were involved" in high-value thefts that could be linked to the group.
In February 2019, ringleader John Kitchen and Kieran Marshall were also found guilty of (shown in video above) at Hyman’s Jewellers, in Call Lane.
On October 25 in 2017, a red Ford Ranger 4x4 ploughed into the front of the shop, before Kitchen, who was armed with a sledgehammer, threatened staff, rifled through the window display and stole a Rolex watch.
Marshall saw the shop’s security shutter closing and reversed in to block it. He knocked Kitchen down in the process but helped him to avoid being trapped.
Kitchen has also been convicted of an armed robbery at Thomas Cook, in Rothwell, on August 18 in 2017.
He was one of three men, who were armed with an axe, a knife and baseball bat. They threatened staff and stole a large amount of cash, but members of the public intervene and tried to tackle the men.
During a short struggle, Kitchen dropped his baseball cap and police found his DNA inside.
'They are motivated purely by greed'
Inspector Mick Preston, who heads the Leeds East Neighbourhood Policing Team that led the investigation, said: "The ringleaders of this group are prolific criminals with long offending histories.
"They have been negative role models of the worst kind in their communities over a number of years.
"As these offences clearly illustrate, they are motivated purely by greed and care nothing for the harm and fear their behaviour causes to their victims.
“We hope the significant prison sentences they have received will help to reassure their victims and the wider community, and also send a warning to others who think they can commit serious crimes such as these without having to face the consequences.
“The successful conclusion of this case is an excellent example of the investigative police work undertaken by some very dedicated officers from my Leeds East Neighbourhood Policing team.
"I am very pleased with the outcome which is a direct result of all their hard work to bring to justice lawless individuals such as these and keep people safe.”
For more of today's top stories, click here .
LeedsLive has launched a WhatsApp group to keep you up to date with the latest news! Click here to join and follow the instructions on your phone. Your number won't be shared with anyone else in the group.
