'Tell them we’re the biggest machine ringing firm in the south of England'

A complex investigation by Surrey's Serious Organised Crime Unit has seen five prolific criminals jailed for their roles in an industrial-scale theft of plant machinery and vehicles across the south-east' totalling approximately £750,000.

The crime spree included sites in Farnham, Guildford, Woking and the surrounding areas.

At Chichester Crown Court last week, the group were sentenced to more than 20 years in prison:

• Paul Jones, 40 (DOB: 03/05/1985), of Woking, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to handle stolen goods, theft and money laundering and was sentenced to seven years and two months.
• Michael Burrows, 52 (14/12/1973) of Odiham, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to handle stolen goods and was sentenced to three years and four months.
• John Burrows, 33 (DOB: 22/09/1992) of Normandy, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to handle stolen goods and was sentenced to one year and four months.
• William Bath, 40 (DOB:12/10/1985), of Billingshurst, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to handle stolen goods and production of cannabis and was sentenced to four years and three months.
• George Goddard, 66 (DOB: 20/09/1959), of Staines-upon-Thames, was found guilty following a trial at Guildford Crown Court in July 2025 and received a suspended sentence of one year and six months.
• Mark Grant, 36 (DOB: 26/06/1989), of Ash, pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods and was sentenced to four years.
• Lee Grant, 58 (DOB: 14/04/1967), of Normandy, pleaded guilty to production of cannabis and received a suspended sentence of 22 months plus 200 hours of unpaid work.

Previously, other individuals with links to the group had been sentenced for their roles in this criminality:

• Brian Bastin, 35 (DOB:16/06/1990) of Dorking, pleaded guilty to theft and handling stolen goods and was sentenced to two years and six months.
• Jimmy Wenman, 46 (DOB: 17/02/1979) of Bentley, pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods and was sentenced to one year and eight months, suspended for 18 months.
• Jimmy Wenman, 25 (DOB: 15/12/2000) of Camberley, pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods and was sentenced to eight months imprisonment suspended for 12 months.
• Jack Mobey, 41 (DOB: 07/08/1984) of Normandy, pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods and was sentenced to 10 months, suspended for 12 months.
• Riley Scamp, 32 (DOB: 11/08/1993) of Faversham pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods and was sentenced to six months imprisonment suspended for 18 months.

 

Evidence showed Paul Jones and Michael Burrows to be the ‘ringleaders’ of the group.

Most stolen items were one-tonne dumper trucks and mini diggers, and many were taken during the hours of darkness from building sites or yards.

Once stolen, the machines would have their identities changed with vehicle identification numbers (VINs) switched out for cloned details so they could be sold on.

Certificates were also obtained from an internationally recognised database that made them appear genuine.

In addition to plant machinery, the investigation team identified several stolen vehicles including high value motor homes which had been altered in the same way.

Paul Jones was the starting point of the investigation due to concerns being raised about machines sold by him online.

During a text message exchange, Jones boasted about being 'the biggest machine ringing firm in the South of England'.

He could be linked to stolen machines/vehicles with a value of approximately £500,000.

Jones was also in partnership with Bath with the proceeds of their criminality enabling them to purchase Cinderella's nightclub in Guildford. Jones paid a £50,000 deposit as well as other fees to support its refurbishment and set up.

WhatsApp messages show the pair discussing selling stolen and cloned vehicles to raise the capital needed which ran into the hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Bath warned Jones to 'be careful' due to the number of machines being sold, telling him that the club was not worth getting arrested over. He stated that if he was arrested there would be 'war'.

When Bath was arrested in January 2020, officers also uncovered a large cannabis factory in an outbuilding next to his address. This was a well-established set up with 48 plants and a street value of £35,000.

Many of the stolen machines were supplied to Jones by Michael Burrows. Despite having no declared form of legitimate income, nearly £220,000 passed through a bank account belonging to Burrows in just a six-month period in 2018. Further funds were directed through other accounts which could be linked to him.

A mobile phone seized from Burrows also contained hundreds of images of stolen and suspected stolen plant.

Mark Grant received stolen machinery at his yard in Normandy.

A CCTV unit was recovered by police from these premises which showed Grant loading the stolen machinery into foreign registered articulated trucks.

When police attended his premises, a cannabis factory was located in an outbuilding. A further cannabis factory was located at his father Lee Grant’s address in Normandy.

The victims in each of these crimes can be split into two categories: those who have been the target of the theft and those who have unknowingly purchased stolen goods.

Many of those impacted are small business owners or self-employed tradespeople.

One of these was an 18-year-old man who had just started a groundworks business after leaving school. The purchase of three one-tonne dumper trucks has subsequently cost him several thousand pounds.

A further victim, a self-employed builder from Devon, purchased eight machines from Paul Jones unaware that they had been stolen and cloned.

He has incurred a financial loss of £70,000 in respect of these machines. Appearing at court, he described how the loss had impacted both his financial and mental wellbeing, stating that he should have retired last year, but has been unable to do so due to the loss.

Detective Constable Alex Boxall who led the investigation said: "These sentences bring an end to an extremely lengthy and complex investigation into the activities of this criminal group.

“Theft of any kind can have a devastating impact on businesses and tradespeople, and I hope this outcome will serve as a form of closure for the victims involved.”

Three further defendants will be sentenced on Thursday, 5 March, 2026.

There's a lot you can do to deter thieves, prevent your property being taken and to get it back safely if it is.

Secure your property with trackers, alarms, an immobiliser and CCTV.

Mark it to make it unique. Organisations may not recognise a name or symbol, but a postcode can help return it to you. Don't forget to record attachments such as drills, buckets and ploughs.

And finally, log all valuable items detailing the make, model, serial number, value and description.

If your machinery is stolen, call the police as soon as possible with as many details as you can. Call 999 if it’s happening now. Report it online if it’s already happened.

For more information, please click here.