Eighth Conviction in Multi-County Burglary Conspiracy Results in Five-Year Prison Sentence

Darren Lee Wilkinson, aged 36, was sentenced to five years and six months in prison for his involvement in a large-scale conspiracy to commit burglaries across six counties in the United Kingdom. Wilkinson’s conviction, which comes after a trial at Southampton Crown Court, marks the eighth sentencing in connection with this extensive burglary conspiracy.

The court heard that Wilkinson and his associates operated a well-organised criminal network, targeting various businesses with high-value stock such as supermarkets, bicycle stores, mobile phone stores, and clothing shops. This criminal spree occurred between October 2020 and December 2020, spanning Hampshire, Surrey, Dorset, Avon & Somerset, Sussex, and Wiltshire.

The modus operandi of the group was to travel in convoy, often utilising private hire vehicles or stolen vehicles with cloned plates. In total, investigators uncovered 16 burglaries in Hampshire, with additional incidents reported in the other affected counties.

The value of stolen goods and the losses incurred by businesses, including damages, amounted to nearly £420,000. Investigators also managed to recover several stolen vehicles used in the commission of these crimes.

In addition to his involvement in the burglary conspiracy, Wilkinson faced additional charges related to handling stolen goods and fraudulent activities. He received a concurrent 12 month jail sentence for taking stolen vehicles to a scrap yard for crushing.

He was found guilty of the following offences at Southampton Crown Court on 10 May:

• Three counts of handling stolen goods, namely motor vehicles, between 11 July 2019 and 14 April 2020.
• Fraud by false representation between 11 July and 28 September 2019. Wilkinson dishonestly made a false representation to a member of staff at a scrap yard in Southampton, claiming he had lawful authority to request the scrappage of vehicles he had delivered to the yard.
• Fraud by false representation between 01 August 2019 and 30 July 2020, where by Wilkinson dishonestly made a false representation to a member of staff at a scrap yard in Southampton, claiming he had lawful authority to request the scrappage of vehicles he had delivered to the yard.

Furthermore, Wilkinson was sentenced to nine months in prison, to run consecutively, for an aggravated vehicle taking and disqualified driving offences that occurred on 24 March 2022. This incident involved Wilkinson evading the police on Wide Lane, Eastleigh, and driving dangerously in a stolen Mercedes A-Class.

Four men were sentenced for their part in the conspiracy at the same court on
Wednesday 2 August, while three other men had previously been sentenced for their part in the conspiracy on Tuesday 27 June.

Detective Constable Paul Beasley, who led the investigation, said: “This further ruling has bought justice to residents and business owners in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and also a number of neighbouring counties. 

“We conducted a fully-through and robust investigation – and today’s result is down to the sheer dedication of my officers, but also the efforts of our investigative counterparts at Surrey Police, Dorset Police, Avon & Somerset Police, Sussex Police and Wiltshire Police. 

“This is a great example of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s priority to drive a focus on excellent local policing and ensuring that victims are put first and prioritised throughout our investigations.”