A prolific burglar has been jailed after posting pictures on social media of him sat in luxury cars stolen across Essex.
Thomas Davis, 38, and his gang were behind more than 35 raids where high-value items were taken.
Victims returned home to find their properties ransacked for cash, jewellery, televisions and car keys.
Davis, 38, boasted by sharing images on his Facebook account of vehicles - including a Bentley - pinched off driveways.
He was tracked by police in a stolen blue BMW before crashing it into an insurance firm’s office on Haven Road, Canvey Island in August 2016.
Essex Police officers spent years compiled cases against Davis and three others before carrying out arrests.
At Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday, he was sentenced to three years and 10 months for conspiracy to commit burglary, aggravated vehicle taking and the theft of a motor vehicle.
Davis, of no fixed address, will serve his sentence consecutively to one he is currently service for a separate offence.
For their part, Steven Watts, 36, received five years and four months; Alan Clough, 32, four years and one month; and Harry Fenwick, 36, of Markhams in Stanford-le-Hope, was given a two-year sentence suspended for two years.
Detective Sergeant Jonathan Stephenson said: “These burglars targeted innocent people across our county for their financial gain.
“They now face a total of more than 13 years behind bars.
“Their crimes have had a devastating impact on their victims, both in the value of the items they have lost and the psychological impact being a victim of crime can have.
“The work of the officers in this complex case was exemplary – it highlights the lengths we will go to make sure we get justice for burglary victims in Essex, regardless of how long ago the offences occurred.
“It’s working as well – we solved more burglaries in the year to December 2023 than the year before, and we are working hard to solve even more.”
