The locks of patio doors were burned with a blowtorch by burglars who broke into houses and stole several high end cars.
One victim had only purchased his BMW hours before it was taken from outside his home in the early hours. Marcus Lawrence and Regan Harte were caught after they crashed a stolen Mercedes following a high speed chase with police.
Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday, Thursday, that a string of burglaries targeting properties in the Woolston area of Warrington saw "high-powered vehicles" pinched on two dates in July 2020. Ken Grant, prosecuting, described how the offenders used a Mercedes A Class which had been stolen the previous month and driven on cloned registration plates in order to transport themselves to and from the scene.
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Lawrence alone was involved in break-ins in the early hours of July 2. The previous evening, his dad's Volkswagen Tiguan had activated automatic number plate recognition cameras in the town, while the 29-year-old's mobile phone was cell siting in the Woolston area.
He is said to have been carrying out a "scouting mission to identify suitable vehicles to be targeted for theft" at this time. Shortly before 2.30am, the Merc trigged ANPR cameras in Warrington and was then caught on CCTV on Dam Lane.
Footage subsequently showed two people approaching the side of a house on this street before their car and a BMW 340i M Sport taken from the property were seen travelling in convoy at around 3.15am. Later in the morning, the homeowner received a phone call from a man informing him that items from inside his vehicle had been ditched in a nearby road, at which point he realised it had been stolen - with entry having been gained by burning the locks of his UPVC patio doors.
Burglaries were also attempted on Longbarn Lane, around 100 metres away, and on Bruche Avenue in Padgate around the same time. The occupant of the former, who had a VW Golf GTI on her driveway, noticed a smashed plant pot in her back garden before finding burn marks on a rear door.
The owner of the latter, whose BMW M135i was parked outside, also noticed an attempt to burn the locks of their patio doors. After leaving Warrington, the Mercedes travelled towards Salford then onwards to the Heaton Park area of Manchester.
Burglaries then committed in the early hours of July 19 concerned both defendants. The pair were in contact over the phone at around 11pm on July 18, while Lawrence's phone was cell siting in the area around Harte's home.
At midnight, the Mercedes - this time fitted with a different set of cloned plates - again activated ANPR cameras in Warrington. Harte's mobile phone began cell siting in Woolston and remained there for several hours.
CCTV on Spruce Close showed three men into the road from the direction of Durham Close at 12.45am, and at shortly before 1.30am a 67-plate BMW 3 Series stolen from an address on the latter street was captured travelling in convoy with the A Class.
This car had only been purchased the previous day, with the keys left in the kitchen overnight. The owner woke up the following morning to find the vehicle - which has never been recovered - had been stolen, with the locks of his side door burned.
A BMW M2 Coupe was also taken from a house on Spruce Close. Its keeper had last driven the vehicle the previous evening, but awoke shortly before 6am to find his back door open with the lock burned and his keys taken. The car was later found with false number plates in the Chorlton area on July 22.
Lawrence and Harte then travelled to Bacup in Lancashire and stole an Audi A3 and an Audi S3, the latter again being placed in the area by cell siting data. Shortly after 4.30am, the S3 was seen travelling alongside the Mercedes in Bury.
The latter vehicle was then involved in a pursuit with police and only came to a stop after crashing into a curb on the slip road to the M60 at junction 19 for Heaton Park. Lawrence, who was behind the wheel, and Harte "bailed out" of the car after this.
But the driver was "quickly detained" by officers, with his passenger located in nearby fields after a search involving dog units. A blow torch was recovered from the Mercedes, as were the keys to one of the Audis stolen in Bacup.
Lawrence, of Avondale Road in Stretford, was also in possession of two sets of BMW keys from vehicles stolen in Warrington. The dad to a three-year-old daughter has 13 previous convictions for 43 offences, dating back to 2009.
He previously received five years for the burglaries and thefts in the Lancashire area, as well as for dangerous driving, at Burnley Crown Court in December 2020. The court heard that he was unemployed at the time of the offences after losing his job due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Lawrence admitted three counts of burglary, two of attempted burglary and three of theft in connection with the Warrington indictment. He was jailed for a further 21 months and told to pay a victim surcharge.
Sentencing, Recorder Richard Conley said: "It is clear that this was a targeted and well planned and executed series of burglaries. There were numerous professional hallmarks involved.
"You were equipped to commit these burglaries with a blowtorch, used to remove the locks from patio doors. You knew exactly what you were doing and you were seeking out properties where there were high value vehicles parked on the driveways.
"It seems, after many years of committing criminal offences - many of which involved theft or dishonesty of some description, often burglaries of people's homes and the taking of motor vehicles - there are very clear signs that you are gaining maturity and understanding you the effect and consequences of your actions. All of that is very encouraging."
Regan Harte, of Morgan Place in Stockport, pleaded guilty to two charges of burglary and two of theft. The 23-year-old will be sentenced at a later date, and has been remanded into custody until then.
Cheshire Police was unable to release a custody picture of Lawrence.
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