Convicted: Black Country gang who worked together to steal cars in Staffordshire
Three Black Country men who worked together to steal cars in Staffordshire have been convicted for their crimes.
Bray Halls, of Wednesbury, and Rio Halls and Josh Gunter, both of Walsall, teamed up to steal vehicles in Cannock, Lichfield, East Staffordshire and South Staffordshire.
Police were able to link the trio to the crimes when Bray Halls was arrested in March of 2021.
Officers searched his house for evidence which later showed he was working with the other offenders.
The first theft happened when a Ford Ranger was stolen from a house in Burntwood, Staffordshire Police said.
The trio would work together to target a number of Ford vehicles, Land Rovers, motorbikes and quad bikes from different homes in Rawnsley in Cannock, Norton Canes, Great Wyrley, Featherstone and Kings Bromley.
They were arrested, charged and taken to court, where all three of them denied their involvement.
Following a trial at Stafford Crown Court which ended on June 10, the trio were found guilty on a number of counts and sentenced.
Bray Halls, aged 23, was found guilty of conspiracy to steal motor vehicles between March 2020 and March 2021, burglary and two counts of attempted burglary. He was jailed for 32 months.
Rio Halls was found guilty of two counts of theft from the person relating to offences on December 1, 2020, and December 5, 2020. The 19-year-old was sentenced to 10-week detention and training order.
Josh Gunter, aged 22, was found guilty of one count of theft from the person relating to an offence on December 5, 2020. He was issued with a 12-month community order and ordered to carry out 50 hours of unpaid work.
Detective Constable Steven Davenport, from the Staffordshire Police criminal investigations department, said: “This was a large and complex investigation that has resulted in a significant disruption to vehicle theft across Staffordshire.
“We recognise the impact this type of crime can have on people and we’re determined to keep acting against those responsible.
"We are going after burglars and thieves every day, working proactively to gather the evidence needed to charge them and put them before the courts."
The force said its work in tackling burglary, theft and robbery led to reductions in the number of related crimes in 2024 when compared to 2023.
