Gang guilty over string of Shropshire burglaries
A gang of men have been found guilty by a jury of carrying out dozens of burglaries across the region, including a handful in Shropshire.
Prosecutors revealed the men, all from Lithuania, stole more than £300,000 in cash and expensive jewellery from homes they targeted over a three-month period last year.
Jurors at Shrewsbury Crown Court took just over an hour yesterday to convict Grazvydas Kasarauskas, 34, Geidruis Batuis, 33, Tomas Juospaitis, 31, and Gytis Dambauskas, 30. All four men had denied a charge of conspiracy to burgle between July 28 and October 9 last year.
They were due to be sentenced by Judge Jim Tindal today after he had read victim impact statements from the people targeted. Miss Mary Loram, prosecuting, said the burglaries had a "profound" impact on the victims, many of whom were elderly.
Break-ins took place at properties in Shrewsbury, Oswestry, Ludlow, Wem, Pant and Morda as well as North Wales, Cheshire, Hereford, Worcester, Derby and Rugby, the trial had earlier heard.
The properties targeted were often those owned by retired couples while they were on holiday, the court had heard. In a lot of cases properties were broken into via a window by the culprits who searched wardrobes and cupboards, and drew curtains.
The break-ins included a three-bedroom bungalow in Ludlow, where the thieves got in via the kitchen window and two gold sovereigns, a wedding ring and engagement ring were taken.
Also, in a four-bedroom detached property in Morda, near Oswestry, a kitchen window was forced and thieves got away with items including a man's watch, two gold necklaces, costume jewellery, 400 Singapore dollars and £200 worth of euros.
Earlier in the trial the jury heard new technology helped trap the gang. The court heard the routesthe gang took from Birmingham to burgle the homes were plotted by police, who seized sat navs from five cars.
