Three men have been jailed for more than ten years for stealing high-value mountain bikes in a ‘brazen’ daylight raid.
On 24 October, the three men – all from Middlesbrough – drove to Helmsley in a stolen black Ford Fiesta ST fitted with false number plates.
When they got to Helmsley, the men entered the garage of the house on Orchard Way at some time between 11am and 11.30am. They made off with three mountain bikes valued at £12,000.
Related
North Yorkshire Police officers were alerted to the incident and a tactical operation was put in place to intercept the car and arrest the occupants.
The black Fiesta was sighted by officers on the A170 at Helmsley heading towards Sutton Bank.
A stinger device was deployed to burst its tyres and it came to a stop at the top of Sutton Bank, having left the road and coming to rest on the bank side. The three men were arrested and the bikes recovered 30 minutes after the break-in.
‘Despicable actions’
Today at York Crown Court, David Anthony Cave, aged 47, of Lytton Street, Middlesbrough was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.
Colin Andrew Redshaw, 29, of Brough Court, and Paul James Donnelly, 35, of Bolton Court, were jailed for three years and two years and eight months respectively for the same burglary, as well as for aggravated vehicle taking without the owner’s consent.
Detective Constable David Adams, who led the North Yorkshire Police investigation, said: “The three men involved in this incident have rightly been given considerable custodial sentences.
“They now have time to reflect on their despicable actions and are facing the consequences for this brazen act of burglary of high-value property in broad daylight.
“It was motivated by greed to line their own pockets at the victim’s expense.”
DC Adams added: “The evidence in this case was overwhelming, and the three men had very little choice but to accept responsibility for what they had done and plead guilty.
“The North Yorkshire Police officers who were involved worked quickly and effectively to make sure the stolen vehicle and its occupants were safely stopped, and that the stolen mountain bikes were recovered and later returned to their rightful owner.”