This is the moment police jumped on top of a car and started smashing the windows to arrest members of a crime gang.
Cheshire Police investigated a number of serious burglaries in Merseyside, Cheshire and Manchester, including the theft of two vehicles, a BMW and a Ford, and the stealing of cash from homes and a takeaway. A further incident saw the gang, which included Thomas Berry, 27, Philip Berry, 27, and Adam Purcell, 34, and a 17-year-old boy who cannot be named for legal reasons, steal cash collected as part of fundraising for a local rugby club.
The burglaries took place between October and December 2022, with Cheshire Police saying the gang predominantly targeted Asian families.
READ MORE: Eurovision's Rylan Clark blown away by Scouse trait as he's 'never seen anything like it'
The criminal's downfall came due to an investigation by Cheshire Police's Serious and Organised Crime Unit (SOCU). The investigation began on October 25, 2022 following a burglary on Westminster Road, Ellesmere Port.
Detectives found CCTV footage which showed the offenders breaking into the address through a window, before stealing cash from inside. The gang then made off in a Ford vehicle, which was later found by officers abandoned nearby.
Investigations revealed the vehicle was stolen from Merseyside. Officers found also got a match to Thomas Berry's DNA on a screwdriver found inside the car.
Following the discovery, officers from SOCU conducted further investigations into Thomas and his associates, which resulted in police stopping a black Audi A3 owned by Phillip Berry, on the M56 near junction to 12, on Wednesday, December 14.
Footage from the incident shows police officers blocking in the Audi before jumping onto the car to smash the windows. Thomas, Phillip, Purcell and the 17-year-old boy, were all arrested at the scene.
Upon searching the car officers discovered a quantity of cash, face coverings, gloves, and mobile phones. Further enquiries revealed the items had been used in two burglaries in Warrington earlier that day; one at a house on Pasture Lane, and another of a takeaway restaurant on Padgate Lane, where the offenders stole cash.
Officers also linked the gang to a stolen BMW which was found abandoned in Warrington. The vehicle had been reported stolen from the Rochdale area on Monday, December 12.
All four members of the gang were subsequently charged with conspiracy to commit burglary and pleaded guilty in court. Phillip Berry also admitted driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.
Phillip Berry, of College Fields, Wrexham, was jailed for four years and two months, while his twin brother Thomas, also of College Fields, Wrexham, was sentenced to four years and one month.
Purcell, of Chester Road, Frodsham, was jailed for four years and nine months. The sentencing of a 17-year-old boy, from Frodsham, who has been convicted as part of the investigation, has been adjourned.
Following the sentencing Detective Chief Inspector Ian Murray, who leads the Serious and Organise Crime Unit at Cheshire police, said: "I welcome the sentences that have been handed out today and I hope that they provide reassurance to the victims and the wider community. The financial impact of burglary can be significant, but it’s the emotional effect of being burgled which often lasts much longer and should never be underestimated.
“As a force we understand this and we hope this conviction goes as a warning to criminals who are looking to come to Cheshire, that in policing there are no borders, we work together to get criminals off our streets and behind bars where they belong.”
READ NEXT
Police issue update as house sealed off and woman arrested
Couple asleep in their bed wake to see three men stood over them with knives
Hitman who shot dead 'Mr Big' stabbed in head and neck in prison
