‘Sticky Bandits’ stole £2,600,000 of scrap metal from firms around Wolverhampton

The gang, from Wolverhampton, would spend hours at sites as they stole metal and other goods using heavy-duty plant and machinery.

They stole vehicles from the firms, and use others on cloned plates, to ferry the material back to their base on Watery Lane, Wolverhampton.

The criminals are then believed to have sold on the metal to unscrupulous scrap dealers.

Police say they went to great lengths to avoid being caught with three of the gang using 17 mobile phones between them during the crime spree.

Many were hit over the Christmas break when the gang thought the risk of being disturbed was lower.

They filmed some of their raids on their own mobile phones, referring to themselves in one clip as the ‘Sticky Bandits’ – in reference to the burglars from the Home Alone films.

On one occasion, they drew a lewd image on the floor of a firm and wrote ‘Merry Christmas. Happy New Year.’

One gang member filmed a business near a cemetery as part of a recce.

In a voice note, the crook said: ‘Do you think I’m sad that I made it look like I was mourning on a grave just so I could scope out the building?’

During one raid, members of the gang were laughing while the crook recording said: ‘Sticky bandits. Love it. Love it.’

They were nailed after detectives used CCTV and phone records to identify the gang who were arrested in a series of dawn raids last June.

The total loss of materials and vehicles cost firms £1.6 million while damage to the buildings were around £200,000.

The loss of sales and costs of beefing up security and the increased insurance premiums amounted to over £800,000.

Five men went on to admit conspiracy to burgle commercial premises between December 2022 and June last year.

They were jailed for more than 30 years in total at Wolverhampton Crown Court last week.

Adam Shakespeare, 31, was jailed for six years and five months; while David Smith, 36, Lee Fletcher, 33, and Royston Hallard, 30, were each jailed for six years and four months.

David Williams, 44, jailed for three years and four months.

Detective Constable Kelly Whyte, from West Midlands Police’s Major Crime Proactive Unit, said: ‘This was serious, organised and professional criminality on an industrial scale, that saw the theft of materials and vehicles valued at more than £1.6m, not to mention the disruption to business and emotional impact on those affected.

‘They would focus on sites that were tucked away from houses, and struck over holiday periods when they knew the risk of them being disturbed was lower.