Burglary gang whose raid caused Kenilworth shop fire are jailed

Video shows how a gang of thieves attacked police and cut their way into a cash machine in at a takeaway in the West Midlands, in just two of more than a dozen attacks carried out across the country.

The video can be viewed here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOEFUi7ogek&t=1s

The Birmingham gang used vehicles stolen in burglaries to target shops, using force to threaten anyone who got in their way.

But today they were beginning lengthy jail sentences with a combined total of more than 30 years after a major West Midlands Police investigation unmasked them and brought them down.

The gang struck over the space of a year between 2022 and 2023, in places as far afield as Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and West Mercia.

The four men admitted conspiracy to burgle and conspiracy to handle stolen vehicles and goods, but each of the men admitted their roles in only some of the raids.

Between them, they admitted taking part in 17 different offences.

The gang admitted handling stolen fire service cutting equipment. We traced some of it back to a break-in in Warwickshire where £50,000 worth of specialist tools were stolen from a station in 2022.

On August 31 last year, Reece Pedley was among a group of men who arrived at Snappy Tomato Pizza in Coventry and used specialist cutting equipment to steal thousands of pounds from the cash machine.

And on September 7 last year, all four of the men struck at Tesco on Hewlett Road, Cheltenham.

A stolen BMW on false plates pulled up and three of the gang used a saw and crowbars to force their way into a cash machine, while a fourth acted as a lookout.

As police arrived, the gang threw rocks and bricks at officers, forcing one of the officers to crouch behind his car. Another threw a brick at the front passenger window where an officer was sat.

The gang rammed the police car out of the way before making off.

They caused damage estimated to cost over £1 million to a Tesco Express and a neighbouring baker’s when sparks from an angle grinder they used caused a fire in Kenilworth.

West Midlands Police’s Major Crime Proactive Team worked with officers at West Mercia, Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, Thames Valley and Wiltshire Police.

Using a combination of mobile phone data, CCTV, vehicle tracking data and witness accounts, the gang was identified and arrested in November and December last year.

At Birmingham Crown Court on Monday, (8 April) Justin Buckley, aged 40, of Brindle Court, Hall Green, Birmingham was jailed for eight years and four months.

Chris Hands, aged 37, of Addison Road, Kings Heath, was jailed for nine years and six months. In addition to the conspiracy charges, he admitted a charge of burglary.

Reece Pedley, aged 34, Pendeen Road, Yardley Wood, was jailed for seven years and seven months.

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

DC Edward Costello, from West Midlands Police’s Crime Proactive Team, 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.

"They threatened and used significant force against civilians and police who tried to intervene, and they were persistent.

“On one day, they broke into a Tesco Express near Oxford, but found the cash machine empty.

"Two hours later, they struck at a Tesco Express in Warwickshire.

“They knew where these machines were and how to access them.

“Everyone knew their role, whether it was acting as a lookout or cutting into the machines.

"The theft of the equipment obviously compromised the ability of the fire service to protect communities.

“Thankfully, we’ve now brought them to justice and they will be spending many years behind bars.”

“We’re targeting serious crime across the West Midlands under Operation Target, which sees us taking on those involved in guns, drugs, organised crime and exploitation.”