Wiltshire gang jailed for 'half UK's caravan thefts'
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From: Vicko Zoomba on 8 Mar 2010 11:51 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/8555576.stm 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. 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 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. The court heard that the Ward-McDonagh family began stealing caravans from driveways and motorway service stations in 2004. 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. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Well we can't discriminate against pikeys - after all they have rights, don't they? They're always law abiding citizens we're told - yet they nicked half the caravans in England for three years...ffs! McKevvy
From: Ian on 8 Mar 2010 12:41 On 8 Mar, 16:51, Vicko Zoomba <vicko_zoo...(a)hotmail.com> wrote: > Well we can't discriminate against pikeys - after all they have > rights, don't they? They're always law abiding citizens we're told - > yet they nicked half the caravans in England for three years...ffs! But what a heavy punishment. Two whole years in prison. Ian
From: Silk on 8 Mar 2010 13:44 On 08/03/2010 16:51, Vicko Zoomba wrote: > 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. Some traditional Romany names I see.
From: TJ on 8 Mar 2010 14:43 "Vicko Zoomba" <vicko_zoomba(a)hotmail.com> wrote in message news:8683582d-286c-413e-b594-56692bf9024c(a)33g2000yqj.googlegroups.com... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/8555576.stm A gang of travellers who stole hundreds of caravans worth more than �700,000 have been jailed. No surprise there then really! Gypsys are usually conning people. The four men, who were based in Wiltshire, are thought to be responsible for half the country's caravan thefts between 2004 and 2007. So the claim that they ARE responsible is not correct. Either they did or they didn't steal them. 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. Great! That might tech them a lesson and teach the police that the caravan sites full of scum are not a "no-go" zone. They should not be afraid of "upsetting" criminals so much or have double standards. While they are at it, check every single vehicle is taxed, insured and has an MOT. A lot do not and a lot are stolen. The insurance industry reported a 47% drop in claims following their arrest. That statistic is a bit meaningless as one programme I watched showed how very dishonest people would sell their caravan and later claim it was stolen so they could get a newer one. Widescale fraud by caravan owners! 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. Excellent, we should start chopping hands off. 'Distress and anguish' Yes, maybe for the honest owners that had vehicles and caravans stolen. They were found guilty of conspiring to steal after a three-month trial but cleared of money laundering. What a shame, there was probably not enough time to pin that on them. The court heard that the Ward-McDonagh family began stealing caravans from driveways and motorway service stations in 2004. 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. Yes, to have thieving gypsey scum taking your stuff and having the police turn a blind eye for fear of complaints is unacceptable. "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. That's if you can account for them all. Nineteen police forces were involved in the operation to catch the men. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Well we can't discriminate against pikeys - after all they have rights, don't they? They're always law abiding citizens we're told - yet they nicked half the caravans in England for three years...ffs! The police are too afraid when they know people can shout racism, discrimination etc. They would rather not do the paperwork for malicious complaints against officers instead of investigating properly. That's why they turn a blind eye to stolen vehicles without tax, MOT and insurance. The police should investigate all crimes the same way and not give preference to those in the job or relatives. That is what happens at the moment. The police stay well clear of investigations if people can start getting publicity. McKevvy
From: GeoffC on 8 Mar 2010 15:04
Silk wrote: > On 08/03/2010 16:51, Vicko Zoomba wrote: > >> 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. > > Some traditional Romany names I see. Winchester???? -- Geoff |