Four men have been jailed for a combined total of 14 years after being convicted of stealing nearly £1 million worth of BT Openreach cable in a series of targeted raids across rural areas in Essex, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, and Wrexham. The thefts, which involved intricate planning and caused massive service disruptions, were carried out by a gang using 4×4 vehicles with false registration plates to access underground cabling in remote locations.
The gang members, identified as Billy Lee Junior, 24, Levi Lee, 22, Samuel Sheady-Jones, 23, and Ashley Byford, 26, travelled to manhole covers in rural spots, cutting cables and using winches to drag the copper wiring out of the ground. Over a nine-month crime spree, their actions resulted in severe network disruptions for thousands of BT customers, affecting both residential and business lines, and leaving a significant financial toll estimated at over £750,000.
One notable incident took place in Earith, Cambridgeshire, where police responding to the scene found a 4×4 vehicle surrounded by evidence of stolen cable. A forensic examination of the vehicle’s contents led investigators to Billy Lee and his associates, resulting in a targeted investigation that uncovered 31 cable theft incidents linked to the group.
Officers eventually raided properties linked to the suspects, seizing a substantial amount of cash along with a winch, wire cutters, a Mitsubishi Shogun 4×4, and a drill carrying a DNA match to Byford. Cash totalling £54,000 was found in various locations at Billy Lee’s property, including bundles in a caravan and hidden in a dog kennel.
At Chelmsford Crown Court, the gang pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal, with the following sentences handed down on 25 October:
Billy Lee Junior: 4 years and 8 months
Levi Lee: 4 years and 5 months
Samuel Sheady-Jones: 3 years and 7 months
Ashley Byford: 16 months
Detective Inspector Frazer Low, who led the investigation, described the extensive disruption caused by the gang’s actions, saying, “This group caused widespread disruption, impacting 16,000 customer lines and leaving many vulnerable people cut off from family and emergency services. They thought they were acting under the radar, but thanks to evidence from Openreach, we were able to secure their convictions.”
Emma Sandison, Openreach Security Director, highlighted the impact of such thefts, noting, “The loss of phone and broadband services not only inconveniences customers but can put vulnerable people at risk. Repair work pulls our engineers away from other projects and takes weeks to complete, at a cost of thousands.”
Openreach and Essex Police worked closely throughout the investigation, employing advanced security measures, including 24/7 network monitoring, to track down those responsible.
