Burglar gang stole thousands and attacked police

A burglar gang stole hundreds of thousands of pounds, caused a fire and attacked police officers while carrying out raids across the country.

Justin Buckley, Chris Hands, Reece Pedley and John O’Shaughnessy, all from Birmingham, struck across central England during 2022 and 2023.

All four admitted a string of offences including conspiracy to burgle and handling stolen goods.

They were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court and jailed for between seven and nine years each.

The four caused an estimated £1m worth of damage to Tesco Express in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, on 30 September 2023 when sparks from an angle grinder they were using to break into a cash machine caused a fire, West Midlands Police said.

A fire was started during a raid at a Tesco in Kenilworth, Warwickshire

On 7 September 2023, the gang drove a stolen BMW to Tesco on Hewlett Road, Cheltenham, and used crowbars to try and force open a cash machine.

They then threw threw rocks and bricks at police before ramming a police car and driving off.

Pedley was also part of a group that stole thousands of pounds from Snappy Tomato Pizza in Coventry on 31 August 2023, police said.

The gang were also involved in burglaries in Oxfordshire and the West Mercia Police force area - Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

They all admitted using stolen fire service cutting equipment while carrying out the raids.

Chris Hands, left, and Justin Buckley were jailed for their part in the raids

• Buckley, 40, of Brindle Court, Hall Green, was jailed for eight years and four months.

• Hands, 37, of Addison Road, Kings Heath, was jailed for nine years and six months.

• Pedley, 34, of Pendeen Road, Yardley Wood, was jailed for seven years and seven months.

• O’Shaughnessy, 36, of Playdon Grove, Kings Heath, was jailed for eight years.

Reece Pedley, left, and John O’Shaughnessy were also jailed

DC Edward Costello, of West Midlands Police, said: “This was a professional and organised criminal gang who stole hundreds of thousands of pounds from businesses and weren’t afraid to use force to get what they wanted.”