A gang who targeted lone drivers to steal their vehicles have been jailed.
The group were caught after an incident at Bassetts Pole near Lichfield.
They had hijacked a recovery driver who was returning a vehicle the gang had previously stolen, but dropped a phone which was recovered by a witness and handed over to police.
The armed robbers were jailed for more than 60 years:
- Paul Doyle, 41, of no fixed address – 24 years after being convicted of conspiracy to rob, conspiracy to commit theft, robbery, possession of an imitation firearm, conspiracy to possess an imitation firearm and kidnapping.
- Luke Mander, 23, of Kingsbury Road in Birmingham – 16.5 years after being convicted of conspiracy to rob, conspiracy to commit theft, robbery, possession of an imitation firearm, conspiracy to possess an imitation firearm, kidnapping and possession with intent to supply Class B drugs.
- Joshua Barrett, 22, Greenhill Way in Birmingham – 18 years after being convicted of conspiracy to rob, conspiracy to commit theft, robbery, conspiracy to possess an imitation firearm and possession of an imitation firearm.
- Kier Carter, 18, from Kingsbury Road in Birmingham – 3 years having been convicted of conspiracy to steal, burglary, handling stolen goods, taking a vehicle without consent and possession of class B drugs.
The court heard the gang had struck at least 46 times in 11 weeks between October and December 2018.
They often went armed with knives, iron bars and imitation firearms.
Among the cases was a pregnant woman being dragged out of her car when she returned to the vehicle after shopping at Ventura Retail Park in Tamworth.
But it was the gang’s audacious attempt to re-take the vehicle from a driver who had stopped at the McDonalds restaurant at Bassetts Pole on his way to returning the recovered vehicle.
Among the evidence recovered by police were selfies showing the men pictured alongside stolen cars, while DNA and mobile phone evidence linked them to crime scenes across the West Midlands, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Mercia and Avon and Somerset.
Detective Superintendent Jason O’Toole, from Staffordshire Police’s Major and Organised Crime Unit, said:
“The gang, led by ringleader Doyle, carried out a series of violent robberies across the region.
“They targeted vulnerable drivers and were motivated by money and greed – they were brazen thieves, not afraid to commit robberies in broad daylight.
“The gang terrified their victims and had no thought to the impact they have had on people’s lives. They even targeted a man tending to his wife’s grave in Streetly.
“They have rightly been handed long prison sentences for what was a shocking series of robberies.”
Det Supt Jason O’Toole, Staffordshire Police
