Gang jailed for stealing £3m worth cars across Midlands and beyond
The group from Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Gloucestershire led police to investigate 130 separate criminal incidents in just four months
Last updated 17th Apr 2026
A gang of car key burglars who stole vehicles worth nearly £3.5 million have been jailed for a combined total of almost 95 years.
Eleven gang members were sentenced at Worcester Crown Court today (17th April) and yesterday (16th April) after stealing nearly 100 cars between May and August 2024.
Operation Flare, led by West Mercia Police, investigated the criminal activities of the group across The Midlands, the south of England, and Wales.
Sentencing
The sentencing considered the defendants ages at the time of the offences as well as reductions for guilty pleas.
Yesterday (16th April) at court the following offenders were convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit burglary and one count of conspiracy to conceal/disguise/transfer/remove criminal property: -
- Charlie Coombs, 20, of Grafton Lane, Bidford-on-Avon, Alcester, was sentenced to eight years and three months in a young offenders’ institution for the first offence and five years concurrently for the second offence. He was also disqualified from driving for 96 months.
- Wesley Hunt, 49, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to seven years and two months in prison and three years to run concurrently. He was disqualified from driving for 91 months.
- Jack Stephens, 19, of HMP YOI Featherstone, was sentenced to six years and four months and three years concurrently in a young offenders’ institution. He was disqualified from driving for 86 months.
- Charlie Taylor-Bates, 20, of Evesham, was sentenced to four years and ten months and three years concurrently in a young offenders’ institution. He was disqualified from driving for 48 months.
- Riley Reeve, 28, of Pitwell Lane, Aldington, Evesham was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit burglary for which he was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison. He was disqualified from driving for 76 months.
Today (Friday 17 April) the following offenders were convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit burglary and one count of conspiracy to conceal/disguise/transfer/remove criminal property:
- Bradley Archer, 29, of Rynal Place, Evesham was sentenced to seven years and six months, and four years to run concurrently. He was also disqualified from driving for 93 months.
- Chance Gill, 27, of Eckington, Worcestershire was sentenced to eight years for his involvement in Operation Flare, as well as a six-year sentence for conspiracy to commit burglary for offences in Wiltshire – these are to run consecutively. Gill was also given a 12-month sentence for failing to stop/dangerous driving to run concurrently, and disqualified from driving for 191 months.
- Jimmy Doran, 22, of Windmill Lane, Ladbroke in Warwickshire, was sentenced to 11 years and two months, and seven years to run concurrently. He was also disqualified from driving for 114 months.
- Eric Pearce, 29, of HMP YOI Stoke Heath, was sentenced to 10 years and six months, and eight years to run concurrently. He was also disqualified from driving for 117 months.
- Morgan Spiers, 27, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to eight years for his involvement in Operation Flare, as well as a four-year sentence for conspiracy to commit burglary for offences in Wiltshire – these are to run consecutively. He was disqualified from driving for 21 years.
- Shane Young, 34, of HMP Hewell, was sentenced to eight years and four months, and five years to run concurrently. He was also disqualified from driving for 95 months.
A 12th gang member - a 17-year-old boy from Stratford-upon-Avon, who cannot be named for legal reasons - was sentenced separately at Worcester Crown Court in January to a detention and training order for 14 months.
The Investigation
The gangs' crimes impacted families as well as elderly individuals across eight police force regions.
They targeted BMWs, Audis, Land Rovers, and Range Rovers, valued at over £100,000 each, using methods such as breaking into homes to steal keys, disguising vehicle identities, and stripping cars for parts.
They left a trail of damage to properties and other valuables, including jewellery and cash, totalling around £3.67million.
Mobile phone footage and dashcam cam's captured gang members flaunting their crimes, including racing stolen vehicles at more than 160mph.
Detective Constable Simon Lloyd, co-lead investigator for Op Flare, said: “This organised criminal gang were responsible for £3.45million of car thefts causing a lot of harm to their victims in the process.
“Not only did the victims suffer from their cars being stolen and homes broken into, but the offenders also had a ‘calling card’ of bleaching areas they came to contact with damaging properties and causing further misery.”
His colleague and fellow Op Flare lead investigator, DC Joshua Hunt added: “We hope the sentences handed out today will send a message that we will come after these gangs and prosecute where appropriate to get justice for those impacted by their offending.”
Detective Inspector James Bamber of Proactive CID added: “This result is for those victims. We hope it brings them some sense of justice and helps them to move on with their lives after the harm this gang have caused them.
“For West Mercia Police it concludes a thorough and comprehensive year-long investigation by our officers into what has been the biggest conspiracy case by volume of offences ever dealt with by the force.
“I would like to pay tribute to the Op Flare team for their hard work and dedication on this case which has seen justice delivered for more than a hundred victims across the country.”
Impact on Victims
His Honour Judge Andrew Lockhart KC told the perpetrators in court: “The terrible and long-lasting impact of your offences strike at the heart of society who should feel safe and secure in their own homes.
“You reaped havoc upon their lives without any thought for them. Families endured fear and children were affected by your actions. A significant portion of your victims were forced to move home as they couldn’t face living there anymore.
“You caused them huge financial losses. Sentimental items were taken and relationships between families were harmed by the stress you caused them.”