Gang jailed for £500,000 keyless car thefts

James Wright, 38 and Scott Prosser, 49, were among four men jailed for stealing scores of cars across five counties

Four men have been jailed for the "brazen" theft of cars worth more than half-a-million pounds.

Between 2016 and 2021, the Nuneaton-based gang stole 35 vehicles from across five counties, Warwick Crown Court heard.

They used electronic devices to gain access to cars with keyless entry systems then broke them down or sold them on.

“This gang travelled around the region brazenly stealing these vehicles," said Det Con Jack Maguire from Warwickshire Police.

The court heard the men stole vehicles from Coventry, Staffordshire, Northamptonshire and Leicestershire as well as their home county for more than four years.

James Wright, 38, James Griffiths, 30, and Luke Griffiths, 31 were jailed on Monday after admitting conspiring to steal motor vehicles.

Ringleader Wright, who ran the operation from his home on Cedar Road, was sentenced to four years and nine months; James Griffiths for four years, six months, and Luke Griffiths for three years, one month.

Scott Prosser, 49, was jailed for three years after being convicted of the same offence following a trial.

Electronic devices enabled them to gain entry and drive away within seconds, police said.

Luke Griffiths, 31, and James Griffiths, 30, both pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal motor vehicles following an investigation by the vehicle crime task force

Warwickshire Police described how the offenders used a "sophisticated process" to change vehicles' identification, allowing them to be sold on to unsuspecting buyers.

James Griffiths, of Barton Road and Scott Prosser, of Waverley Avenue, were arrested after police spotted a van in convoy with a car stolen from Dordon, Warwickshire.

Analysis of the men's seized phones led to the identification of Wright, who arranged for the cars to be cloned before insuring them and selling them on.

Further phone analysis enabled officers to arrest Luke Griffiths, of Hillcrest Road, who helped get the vehicles insured.

Extra precautions

Det Con Maguire said the gang's widespread offending "caused a great deal of distress to the victims".

“This case should send the message that we are committed to getting justice for victims, addressing vehicle crime, and tackling organised criminal gangs," he added.

"We continue to ask people with keyless vehicles to take extra precautions including using a steering wheel lock and keeping the key fob in a faraday bag.”