Joking burglars jailed for string of metal thefts

Adam Shakespeare and David Smith were each jailed for more than six years

A gang of burglars that stole tonnes of metal and vehicles worth £1.6m from businesses across the West Midlands - filming some of the raids and calling themselves The Sticky Bandits - have been jailed.

The five men, from Wolverhampton, chose quieter sites and struck at Christmas, like their namesakes in the Home Alone film.

They stole and used vehicles from the firms to take the material to an industrial unit in Wolverhampton before likely selling onto scrap dealers.

The men - who left a lewd image with the message "Merry Christmas" on the floor at one firm - all admitted conspiracy to burgle commercial premises, when they appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

The men were accused of carrying out the burglaries, between December 2022 and June last year, and were jailed on Friday.

Ten firms in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Dudley, Walsall, Bilston, Perry Barr, Brierley Hill, Kidderminster, Tamworth and Shrewsbury were targeted.

Royston Hallard, Lee Fletcher and David Williams also admitted conspiracy to burgle commercial premises

The total loss of materials and vehicles was £1.6m, West Midlands Police said, with the damage caused estimated at £200,000, and loss of sales, the cost of improving security and increased insurance premiums amounted to more than £800,000.

The gang went to great lengths to avoid being caught with three of the men using 17 mobile phones between them over the course of the crime spree, detectives said.

The burglars left a message on the floor of one firm wishing them a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Det Con Kelly Whyte, from the force's major crime unit, said: “This was serious, organised and professional criminality on an industrial scale, that saw the theft of materials and vehicles valued at more than £1.6m, not to mention the disruption to business and emotional impact on those affected.

“They would focus on sites that were tucked away from houses, and struck over holiday periods when they knew the risk of them being disturbed was lower."

Videos recovered from their mobile phones showed how they "relished what they were doing and would laugh and joke with each other", Det Con Whyte continued.

“When we identified similarities between the offences, we launched a major investigation based on forensics, analysis of mobile phones and CCTV, which meant we were able to move in and arrest the gang in dawn raids last June."

The five men received the following sentences:

• Adam Shakespeare, 31, of Harrowby Road – jailed for six years and five months

• David Smith, 36, of Cannock Road - jailed for six years and four months

• Lee Fletcher, aged 33, of Bunkers Hill Lane – jailed for six years and four months

• Royston Hallard, 30, of Coronation Road – jailed for six years and four months

• David Williams, 44, of Willenhall Road – jailed for three years and four months