Jail sentences were handed down today to an Irish family, who had netted tens of millions of pounds worth of goods in a series of burglaries dating back 20 years.
Yesterday, after a crime spree that spanned 20 years and targeted the homes of the rich and famous, five members of a notorious Irish gypsy gang were finally locked away.
The Johnsons, famed for stealing antiques worth tens of millions of pounds from stately homes, were known to reside on caravan sites across the south-west of England. It was from these poor man's homes that they meticulously researched and planned their misadventures.
While all the men held previous criminal records for various misdemeanors, the jewel in their thieving crown and most high-profile heist was the burglary of the home of famed property magnate Harry Hyams. During this raid alone they netted goods worth a collective £80 million.
Mr Hyams is known to have lost the most expensive item stolen by the family, a 17th century clock worth around £1 million, as a result.
Only £12 million worth of the stolen goods have so far been recovered by police since their arrest in 2006, the Times reports. However, despite their obvious wealth, the family continued to live an incredibly simple life in their caravans.
"They are as scruffy as anything. There’s no sign of a Bentley parked round the back." said a recent visitor to the site.
Sentences handed down to the family at Reading Crown Court included jail terms of eight to 11 years, unusually high for domestic burglary. During the month-long trial, the court had heard how the burglars thoroughly researched their targets, staking out properties for weeks at a time in order to work out where security was weak.
Passing sentence, judge Christopher Critchlow said: "This must be one of the most serious examples of conspiracy to burgle ever to come before the court, considering the amounts involved. Little of the property has been recovered and is no doubt well hidden in the countryside or passed on for disposal."
