Two men who used tracking device to steal cars across Northamptonshire jailed
Two men who used a tracking device to steal cars across Northamptonshire and elsewhere have been jailed.
Warren Francis Patrick Cook and Clint Aron Walters, both previously of Northampton appeared at Northampton Crown Court on October 11 for sentencing after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary.
Between February 2019 and July 2019, Cook, aged 41, and Walters, aged 38, used a method, which involved attaching a magnetic tracking device to a vehicle which they would then be able to track to a specific location.
When they were ready to then steal the vehicle in question, Walters and Cook would send an SMS to the tracking device and in turn, the device would return the co-ordinates of its current location, according to police.
The pair would then travel to the location using a vehicle on cloned or stolen plates, burgle the property connected to the tracked vehicle to get access to the keys, and then steal it.
The pair stole vehicles from across the county including a Volkswagen Golf in Earls Barton, a BMW 1 Series in Great Doddington, an Audi RS3 in Guilsborough and a Peugeot 207 in Northampton. They also stole an Audi S3 in Norwich.
In total, 12 burglaries were committed with other items taken on some occasions including designer wear and jewellery.
Detective Inspector Al Rooney from the burglary team said: “I am really pleased to see both Cook and Walters handed lengthy sentences as it sends a clear message that committing these offences in Northamptonshire is a one-way ticket to prison.
“This series of crimes was a well-organised and well-planned operation, however despite that, we were able to identify these two men as the offenders and bring them to justice.
"I’d like to thank Detective Sergeant Howes and Crime Analyst - Kate McCafferty, for their work on this investigation. They both did an amazing job and this result is a testament to their hard work.
“We will continue working hard to ensure more people like Walters and Cook are sent to prison for their crimes.”
Cook was sentenced to six years and six months in prison and Walters was sentenced to seven years and six months.