Another member of a team of burglars who carried out break-ins across Warwickshire has been caught and jailed

The gang targeted keys to expensive cars and stole more than £1 million worth of vehicles
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A third member of a team of burglars who carried out a series of break-ins targeting the keys to expensive cars worth a total of more than £1 million has been caught and jailed.

The Coventry-based gang had struck at more than 50 houses across Warwickshire and Leicestershire during a seven-month spree in 2019, a judge at Warwick Crown Court has heard.

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Two of the team, Keanan Walker and a 17-year-old, who cannot be named because of his age, were jailed last month after pleading guilty to conspiracy to burgle and conspiracy to steal.

Myles CampbellMyles Campbell
Myles Campbell

Walker (23) of Westminster Road, Coventry, was jailed for five-and-a-half years, and the 17-year-old, also from Coventry, who is already serving life for murder, for six-and-a-half years.

But a warrant was issued for Myles Campbell (22) of The Moorfields, Coventry, who had pleaded guilty to the same charges, after he failed to turn up at court.

Following his arrest, Campbell, who had entered his pleas on the basis that he was only involved in three of the raids, was jailed for 18 months – with a further one month for failing to surrender to his bail.

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Judge Anthony Potter explained to him that he would have been facing a sentence of five years and three months – but he had already served a 45-month term for a single burglary which had been committed during his involvement in the conspiracy.

Prosecutor Andrew Baker said: “This was a large-scale conspiracy which lasted from the 1st of April 2019 to Christmas Eve 2019 and involved a very wide geographical trawl in Warwickshire and Leicestershire, targeting very expensive vehicles.”

There were a total of 51 offences during which cars worth in excess of £1 million were stolen, with Walker being involved in 23 offences and the 17-yerar-old in 24 offences.

Campbell had been involved in three night-time burglaries - in addition to the one for which he had already been sentenced as a ‘third strike’ burglar.

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One of those was in Borrowdale Drive, Leamington, in September 2019, and another in Garth Crescent, Coventry, the following month when two cars were stolen.

Queenie Djan, defending, said: “The peak of his mitigation is his age and his guilty plea. He was relatively young at the time, 19-20 years of age, and he has expressed remorse for his offending.

“His offending was on a much lower scale than the rest of his co-defendants, and he has served a sentence which was part-and-parcel of the offences.”

Jailing Campbell, Judge Potter told him: “All of you pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle and conspiracy to steal cars which involved a very wide range of properties over a nine-month period.

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“But in your case I deal with you for your active involvement over a four-week period in September and October 2019.

“Back in January 2020 I sentenced you for an offence in early November which the prosecution accept would have been encompassed in this conspiracy if they had been aware of the extent of your involvement.

“Had I been dealing with you for a conspiracy involving the November offence it would have warranted a sentence of seven years, and a 25per cent discount for your plea brings that to five years and three months.

“I further discount it to reflect the sentence I passed on you in November, a discount of 45 months, to bring it to 18 months.

“In addition, your failure to attend in December has had a grave effect on the criminal justice system at a time when the system is under considerable strain.”