Bradford gang of thieves stole vehicles worth £850,000

Ellis Ashley, 19, Reece Southern, 24, Luke Linden, 22, and Simon Hamilton, 18, bragged about their activities on social media often posting images and videos of the cars they had targeted or the money they had earned. Pictures of key fobs were found on Linden's phone as well as someone holding a large amount of cash captioned, "Nice 30-second wage for you." On one occasion they threatened the owner of a Volkswagen T-Roc in the bedroom of their own home before taking the car.

Ellis Ashley (Image: West Yorkshire Police) On another a motorcyclist was rammed off the road and robbed by two men armed with a claw hammer and an eight-inch knife. After using a brick to smash the window of a house in Calderdale to steal a GBP40,000 Cupra Formentor Ellis posted a video of himself posing with the car accompanied by a voice note bragging that he had "done a smash and grab". Jailing the "callous" quartet at Bradford Crown Court Her Honour Judge Sophie McKone said they had all played a part in targeted thefts and that no-one had acted as a ringleader.

Reece Southern (Image: West Yorkshire Police) She said: "For 15 months from January 2023 to April 2024 you as a gang agreed to steal and/or handle cars and motorbikes from a wide area of West Yorkshire. "Your offending was prolific. You did this on a wholescale basis.

It was your profession although it was not something to be proud of. "You did it for financial gain but it's clear that you also did it for thrill-seeking as well. "You would individually identify an item to be stolen and then bring it to the group to decide whether it was a viable option.

"When the opportunity arose, you would commit that crime. "You were clearly very pleased with yourselves. You videoed what you had done.

That demonstrates a level of immaturity, but it also displays callousness." The sentences were:

• Linden, of Albert Terrace, Wyke: seven years
• Southern, of Collingham Road, Bradford: six years and four months
• Ashley, of Lingdale Road, Bradford: three years and 11 months
• Hamilton, of Lingdale Road, Bradford: three years

The court heard how many of the cars and bikes stolen in Bradford, Halifax, Rastrick, Kirklees, Leeds, and Wakefield were never recovered. Those that were had often suffered damage, had been burnt out, or had been abandoned following chases involving the police.

Luke Linden (Image: West Yorkshire Police) The gang frequently left their DNA behind on tools or clothing such as gloves and balaclavas. Ashley also posted heavily on his TikTok account. The videos and images were used as evidence of the gang's activity by the police.

In one photograph involving the theft in Halifax of a BMW M4 that was never recovered, Southern and another male, both wearing balaclavas, were seen sitting on the bonnet of the stolen car. Prosecutor Robert Stevenson said all four defendants faced charges of conspiracy to steal and handling stolen goods. The 60-plus offences took place between January 2023 and April 2024.

Mr Stevenson said the make-up of the team would vary sometimes involving two people and sometimes three or four. The gang would burn locks to break into homes, often overnight when people were asleep, to steal keys and make off with specific vehicles. Simon Hamilton (Image: West Yorkshire Police) On one night two Audis worth more than GBP70,000 were taken from the same address in Shelf.

On other occasions the gang struck as people were in shops or petrol stations. One victim was said to be "metres away" when their VW Golf was stolen. Stolen cars were sometimes modified by being spray-painted or having false numberplates fitted to be sold on.

Others were broken up for parts. The vehicles targeted included BMWs, Audis, Mercedes, Volkwagens, Skodas, Fords, and a variety of motorcycles including a Harley-Davidson. The total value was GBP851,759.

In mitigation all four defendants were said to be "lacking in maturity".

Ashley was described as suffering from intellectual difficulties, Linden as "susceptible to exploitation" with "completely normalised" criminal behaviour since the age of 12, Southern as "easily led and exploited by more prolific offenders", and Hamilton as "of limited intelligence".

Judge McKone commended the police officers in the case for their work.