Organised crime group in Leeds stole over £1m worth of high-value cars and tools in Wakefield and Kirklees

Nine people have been sentenced following an investigation into the thefts in Leeds, Wakefield and Kirklees; one of which saw the victim become trapped under his van and dragged for around 800 metres.

The group also operated three “chop shops” in Leeds and Dewsbury where the vehicles were dismantled so that the parts could be sold off.

Evidence built up by Operation Digford found that the thefts were carefully planned by the group, who would steal keyless vehicles by scanning the signal from the owners’ key fobs and using an on-board diagnostics tool to start the vehicles.

In one incident on Lime Pit Lane in the Stanley area of Wakefield in August 2022, a man was left with life-changing injuries after confronting one of the group who was stealing his van. Mark Smith drove over the victim who became trapped under the front wheel of the van, travelling for approximately 800 metres before coming free.

The offence was investigated by police in Wakefield who were able to link the robbery to a “chop shop” in the Armley area of Leeds which was by then being investigated as part of the wider Operation Digford investigation.

The nine men were sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Thursday and Friday (May 2 and 3) last week. They are: 

• Mark Smith, 40, of Tong Way, Leeds, who was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment after being found guilty of one count of robbery and sentenced to a further three years imprisonment for conspiracy to steal motor vehicles, bringing his total to 15 years. 
• Andrew Oldroyd, 49, of Wood Lane, Rothwell, who admitted two counts of conspiracy to steal motor vehicles and one count of handling stolen goods and was sentenced to a total of seven and a half years imprisonment. 
• Sam Oliver, 34, of Fifth Avenue, Rothwell, who admitted two counts of conspiracy to steal motor vehicles and was sentenced to a total of six years and three months imprisonment. 
• Adrian Stewart, 35, of Meynell Approach, Leeds, who admitted one count of conspiracy to steal motor vehicles and one count of handling stolen goods and was sentenced to a total of two years and four months imprisonment.  
• Jason Tester, 51, of Cottingley Road, Leeds, who was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to steal motor vehicles and was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment. 
• Peter Hoyle, 38, of Aberford Road, Woodlesford, who admitted one count of conspiracy to steal motor vehicles and was sentenced to 11 months imprisonment. 
• Edgar Uzulins, 34, of Baileys Crescent, Leeds, who admitted one count of handling stolen goods and was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment suspended for two years. 
• Julie Hainsworth, 48, of Stratford Avenue, Beeston, who was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to steal motor vehicles and was sentenced to nine months imprisonment, suspended for two years. 
• James Hemingway, 50, of Wood Drive, Rothwell, who was sentenced to two months imprisonment after admitted one count of perverting the course of justice.

Detective Chief Inspector Scott Hartley, Precision Lead for Leeds District, said: “This was an organised crime group who profited from other people’s misery by targeting high value vehicles and trade vans containing tools. This was a sophisticated enterprise worth an estimated £1 million.

“In one incident, significant violence was used when the victim has made attempts to stop their vehicle being stolen, showing the willingness and lengths this group would go to carry out these thefts. His life has been devastated socially, financially, and physically by the actions of this OCG. 

“The fact is that organised crime ruins lives and under Programme Precision we are committed to disrupting and dismantling those involved in organised criminality.”

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Operation Digford began in November 2022 following the theft of a Range Rover from a car park in the Hunslet area. The stolen vehicle was traced to another car park in Rothwell with police stopping the occupants of a second Range Rover that was seen driving out of the car park at speed. Inside were gang members Andrew Oldroyd, Sam Oliver and Peter Hoyle who were all arrested.

On their arrest, keys were found to two industrial units in Armley and Dewsbury where disassembled parts of Range Rovers and Mercedes Sprinter vans were discovered. They were found to belong to vehicles which had been stolen between September and November 2022. 

The court were told that Oldroyd was head of the conspiracy, assisted throughout by Oliver. Together they identified vehicles of a particular profile and planned and arranged the thefts. They recruited others to their criminal enterprise to help carry out the actual thefts.  

Tester and Hainsworth were linked to the robbery in Stanley, with Tester driving the vehicle seen in convoy with the stolen van. Hemingway was found to have removed an on-board diagnostic tool from a vehicle that was recovered by police.