A father and son have been jailed after stealing four vehicles in a single night during a shameful crime spree across the North East.
Ashley Lawson, 50, and his son Jamie, 28, were convicted at Newcastle Crown Court after police arrested the pair following the string of burglaries.
Investigations found that the pair stole a Land Rover Evoque after taking keys from an address in Seaham in County Durham in the early hours of May 15 last year.
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On the same night, they travelled to the Sunniside Road area of Gateshead where they stole a BMW and a Mercedes Vito van from the same address after stealing keys from inside the property. After that, Jamie Lawson stole a Volvo from the Sunderland area.
Just days later, on May 22, the pair took another two vehicles, a VW T-Roc and a VW Touran, this time from an address in Blaydon.
Ashley Lawson was subsequently charged with six counts of burglary, while Jamie Lawson was charged with four counts of burglary and five counts of theft. At a hearing at Newcastle Crown Court yesterday (March 6) both men were given jail terms.
Ashley Lawson, of Moorland House, Newcastle, who has numerous previous offences for fraud, disposing of stolen goods and shoplifting, was jailed for 64 months.
Jamie Lawson, of Ponteland Road, Newcastle, who has numerous previous convictions for burglary, vehicle interference and dangerous driving, was jailed for four years.
It takes the total number of prison sentences handed out to burglars convicted of offences in the Central Area Command of Northumbria Police since 2019 to 6,207 months, with a further 838 in suspended sentences.
Following their sentencing, Detective Constable Phil Hoggins, of Northumbria Police’s high impact team, said: “This is a fantastic result which was made possible thanks to the quick and efficient work of our officers, who were able to quickly identify Ashley and Jamie Lawson as being the men who carried out these offences and bring them to justice.
“Burglary is an invasive crime and we want to send a message to people in our communities that we will deliver robust action and effective justice against any offenders. We will continue to work closely with the public, businesses as well as our partners to ensure any burglars and thieves are identified, arrested and put before the courts.
“As ever, we’d remind the public to take an extra second to ensure your doors, windows and locks are secure and that you keep any valuable items out of view.”
Anybody who sees anything suspicious in their area is asked to report it by using the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of the Northumbria Police website or by calling 101. In an emergency, or if a crime is taking place, always ring 999.
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