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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Gang jailed for stealing caravans | Gang jailed for stealing caravans |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A gang of travellers who stole hundreds of caravans worth more than £700,000 have been jailed. | |
| The four men, who were based in Wiltshire, are thought to be responsible for half the country's caravan thefts between 2004 and 2007. | The four men, who were based in Wiltshire, are thought to be responsible for half the country's caravan thefts between 2004 and 2007. |
| Charlie Ward, 28, Martin Ward, 21, John McDonagh, 31, and Martin McDonagh, 29, were jailed for between four and nine years at Winchester Crown Court. | |
| The insurance industry reported a 47% drop in claims following their arrest. | The insurance industry reported a 47% drop in claims following their arrest. |
| The men were found in possession of stolen caravans, cars and motor homes, jewellery and cash when they were arrested in Chiseldon in October 2007. | |
| 'Distress and anguish' | |
| They were found guilty of conspiring to steal after a three-month trial but cleared of money laundering. | They were found guilty of conspiring to steal after a three-month trial but cleared of money laundering. |
| The court heard that the Ward-McDonagh family began stealing caravans from driveways and motorway service stations in 2004. | |
| The men were arrested during raids in 2007 | |
| Fathers-of-five Martin McDonagh and Charlie Ward were sentenced to four years and five years for two separate offences. The sentences will be served consecutively. | |
| John McDonagh and Martin Ward were jailed for four years for their part in one of the conspiracies. | |
| Sentencing the men, Judge Patrick Hooton said the crimes had caused distress and anguish to the victims. | |
| "This trial lasted for three months and during the course of it I heard evidence of repeated thefts of caravans and motor vehicles which in total could be described as theft on a grand scale repeated time after time after time," the judge said. | |
| He said the conspiracy had been well organised. | |
| The men, who travel between the UK and the Republic of Ireland, all had previous convictions related to the theft of caravans. | |
| Confiscation proceedings will now take place against the gang to seize their assets. | |
| Nineteen police forces were involved in the operation to catch the men. |