Five notorious crooks have been jailed for a whopping £750,000 plant machinery theft spree across Surrey and nearby areas. The gang targeted building sites and yards, nicking dumper trucks and mini diggers by the dozen under cover of darkness.
Plant Machinery Stolen Under the Cover of Night
The thieves hit key locations in Farnham, Guildford, Woking and surrounds, swiping heavyweight kit like one-tonne dumper trucks and mini diggers. They then swapped vehicle IDs and forged certificates to flog the stolen machines as if legit.
Ringleaders Boasted About Their Gig
Masterminds Paul Jones and Michael Burrows led the crooked crew. Jones even bragged in a text: “Tell them we’re the biggest machine ringing firm in the South of England.” Linked to half a million quid in stolen gear, Jones teamed up with William Bath to refurbish Guildford’s Cinderella nightclub using dirty money.
Drug Factories Dug Up In Theft Probe
The police also uncovered cannabis factories at Bath’s property and yards connected to gang member Mark Grant and his father, Lee Grant. CCTV caught stolen machinery being loaded onto foreign trucks at Grant’s yard — a key part of the operation’s logistics.
Heavy Jail Terms Total Over 20 Years
- Paul Jones, 40, Woking – 7 years 2 months for conspiracy, theft and money laundering
- William Bath, 40, Billingshurst – 4 years 3 months for handling stolen goods and cannabis production
- Mark Grant, 36, Ash – 4 years for handling stolen goods
- Michael Burrows, 52, Odiham – 3 years 4 months for conspiracy
- John Burrows, 33, Normandy – 1 year 4 months for conspiracy
The Serious Organised Crime Unit’s detailed probe has smashed one of the South East’s biggest machine-ringing rings. These crooks are now facing serious jail time – justice served!
