A STANFORD-le-Hope man is one of a group of burglars, responsible for dozens of crimes across Essex dating back to 2016, who have been sentenced for historic crimes.

The suspects, several of whom are currently serving jail sentences, were connected to more than 35 incidents of burglary and the taking of motor vehicles.

 As well as high-value items taken from victim's homes, such as cash, jewellery and televisions, the thieves also took several items of high sentimental value to their victims.

Thomas Davis, 38, who was already serving a prison sentence at the time of this latest trial, even shared images of the cars – including a Bentley – he stole on his Facebook account.

He was tracked by police in another of these stolen cars in August 2016 before crashing into a building in Canvey Island

Officers have compiled the cases against these burglars for years before they were found.

The defendants eventually pleaded guilty and, on Friday 2 February last week, were sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court.

Steven Watts, 36, in prison at the time of sentencing, received five years and four months in prison for conspiracy to commit burglary.

Alan Clough, 32, also in prison for a separate offence at the time of sentencing, received four years and one month in prison for conspiracy to commit burglary and theft of a motor vehicle.

Davis received three years and 10 months in prison for conspiracy to commit burglary, aggravated vehicle taking and the theft of a motor vehicle. He will serve this sentence consecutively to the sentence he is currently service for a separate offence.

Harry Fenwick, 36, of Markhams in Stanford-le-Hope, was given a two-year sentence suspended for two years, given 20 days of rehabilitation activity requirement and 200 hours of unpaid work.

Detective Sergeant Jonathan Stephenson said: "These burglars targeted innocent people across our county for their financial gain. They now face a total of more than 13 years behind bars.

"Their crimes have had a devastating impact on their victims, both in the value of the items they have lost and the psychological impact being a victim of crime can have.

 "The work of the officers in this complex case was exemplary – it highlights the lengths we will go to to make sure we get justice for burglary victims in Essex, regardless of how long ago the offences occured.

 "It's working as well – we solved more burglaries in the year to December 2023 than the year before, and we are working hard to solve even more."