Nine jailed for theft of £1 million in high-value vehicles

The group were brought to justice by Operation Digford, an investigation led by officers from Leeds District Intelligence Unit, which uncovered three ‘chop shops’ in Leeds and Dewsbury where the vehicles were being dismantled for the lucrative trade in vehicle parts.

One of the chop shops discovered by West Yorkshire Police. (Image: West Yorkshire Police)

The team built up a comprehensive package of evidence which showed the men’s involvement in stealing the keyless vehicles by scanning the signal from the owners’ key fobs and using an on-board diagnostics tool to start the vehicles.

In one incident on Lime Pit Lane in the Stanley area of Wakefield in August 2022, a man was left with life-changing injuries after confronting one of the group who was stealing his van.

Mark Smith drove over the victim who became trapped under the front wheel of the van, travelling for approximately 800 metres before coming free of the wheel.

The offence was investigated by Wakefield District CID and District Crime Team who were able to link the robbery to a chop shop in the Armley area of Leeds which was by then being investigated as part of the wider Operation Digford investigation.

Five of the nine men sentenced for theft of valuable vehicle parts. (Image: West Yorkshire Police)

All nine were sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Thursday and Friday last week. They are:

• Mark Smith, 40, of Tong Way, Leeds, who was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment after being found guilty of one count of robbery and sentenced to a further three years imprisonment for conspiracy to steal motor vehicles, bringing his total to 15 years.

• Andrew Oldroyd, 49, of Wood Lane, Rothwell, who admitted two counts of conspiracy to steal motor vehicles and one count of handling stolen goods and was sentenced to a total of seven and a half years imprisonment.

• Sam Oliver, 34, of Fifth Avenue, Rothwell, who admitted two counts of conspiracy to steal motor vehicles and was sentenced to a total of six years and three months imprisonment.

• Adrian Stewart, 35, of Meynell Approach, Leeds, who admitted one count of conspiracy to steal motor vehicles and one count of handling stolen goods and was sentenced to a total of two years and four months imprisonment. • Jason Tester, 51, of Cottingley Road, Leeds, who was found guilty one count of conspiracy to steal motor vehicles and was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.

• Peter Hoyle, 38, of Aberford Road, Woodlesford, who admitted one count of conspiracy to steal motor vehicles and was sentenced to 11 months imprisonment.

• Edgar Uzulins, 34, of Baileys Crescent, Leeds, who admitted one count of handling stolen goods and was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment suspended for two years.

• Julie Hainsworth, 48, of Stratford Avenue, Beeston, who was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to steal motor vehicles and was sentenced to nine months imprisonment, suspended for two years.

• James Hemingway, 50, of Wood Drive, Rothwell, who was sentenced to two months imprisonment after admitted one count of perverting the course of justice.