Three men jailed for conspiracy to burgle and conspiracy to possess criminal property

Three men have been jailed for a combined total of 68 months, following convictions for conspiracy to burgle and conspiracy to possess criminal property.

Ian Smail, 26, of St Albans Road, Cheam, David Neal, 24, of London Road, Thornton Heath, and Jordan Barnett, 24, of Turnpike Lane, Sutton, were arrested in August following a detailed investigation into the selling of stolen property.

The investigation revolved around the use of the selling application Shpock, and communication between the three defendants showing their involvements in several burglaries of garden sheds and garages, specifically targeting bicycles. These offences took place between 25 March 2020 and 6 July 2020, in Banstead, Worcester Park and Epsom.

 

This investigation came to police attention when we were contacted by a victim of one of the burglaries, who had found his stolen bicycle for sale on eBay. It was traced to an address in London, where the seller told police that they initially brought the bike from a man in Sutton via the website Shpock. Six other items on this account were confirmed as stolen and their owners identified. Using the account details, Smail, Neal and Barnett were each identified in turn.

As Smail, Neal and Barnett were arrested, communication data from their mobile phones showed them in contact during the times the offences took place. When arrested, they were all found in possession of suspected stolen property, and Barnett’s address was identified as the location where the Shpock photos were taken. Messages from Shpock show that purchasers were often directed to this address to collect the property.

On 25 November 2020 at Guildford Crown Court, Ian Smail pleaded guilty to the following counts:

Count 1 – Conspiracy to burgle.

Count 2 – Theft

Count 4 – Conspiracy to possess criminal property.

Count 5 – possession of cannabis

Count 6 – possession of cannabis

He was sentenced to a total of 23 months’ imprisonment.

 

David Neal pleaded guilty to the following counts:

Count 1 – Conspiracy to burgle

Count 2 – Theft

Count 4 – Conspiracy to possess criminal property

Count 7 – Residential burglary

He was sentenced to a total of 27 months’ imprisonment.

 

Jordan Barnett pleaded guilty to the following counts:

Count 1 – Conspiracy to burgle

Count 4 – Conspiracy to possess criminal property

 

He was sentenced to a total of 18 months’ imprisonment.

Investigating officer DC Todd McPhail said, “Thanks to an observant, persistent victim, we were able to recover his stolen property and commence an investigation which enabled officers to recover further stolen property to return to the victims of these crimes. The offenders worked as a team to ensure the items were sold within hours of the theft, using selling applications to sell stolen property at a heavily discounted price. Please be mindful when purchasing items on selling applications that if it appears too good a deal, it probably is. Using something as simple as a UV pen to mark valuable items you’re your postcode or an identifying mark, and register them on websites such as BikeRegister. This can help police identify recovered stolen property and return it to the rightful owner.”

 

You can find more information on how to secure your sheds, garages and outbuildings here: https://www.surrey.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/non-residential-burglary/secure-shed-garage/