Black Country gang of thieves who stole nearly £2m of household items due to be sentenced

The group carried out 19 raids on firms including in Walsall and Telford, Northamptonshire, Exeter and Tamworth, in a "professional operation" between October 1 of 2019 and February 16 of 2022, prosecutor Andrew Wallace told the court yesterday.

Items they stole included large quantities of coffee, alcohol, baby milk, a dehumidifier and a large quantity of electric cycles from a company in Halesfield, Telford, which they re-visited as they were so pleased with their haul.

They used a white Scania tractor trailer with cloned number plates until it was apprehended by the police and they replaced it with a yellow Mercedes - in all cases they would travel in convoy and break into the premises using tools which were later found in their vehicles.

After breaking into Globex Transport in Walsall in the early hours of July 1 2021, members of the gang stole £20,000 worth of toilet paper which was due to be delivered to Poundland as people were stockpiling it during the coronavirus pandemic.

Various individuals in the nine who are being sentenced for robbery and conspiracy to steal played either major roles or small parts in the operation, which Judge Michael Chambers estimated to have cost the firms concerned over £2m when taking into consideration higher insurance premiums and increased security.

Ian Mottram, aged 33, of Gurney Road, Walsall; Richard Pearson, aged 38 of Castlecroft Road, Wolverhampton; Wayne Summers aged 38 of Peartree Avenue Tipton; Gary Harvey, aged 37 of Bassett Road Wednesbury; Christopher Aston, aged 33 of Hodder Grove, West Bromwich; Luke Selman aged 28, of Hawbush Road Walsall; James Harvey, aged 39. of Sycamore Road Tipton; Spencer Howell, aged 50 of Thursfield Road, West Bromwich and Stuart Thomas, aged 43 of Mark Road, Wednesbury had already pleaded guilty to their parts in the operation.

They were told by Judge Chambers at the two-day sentencing to expect jail terms.