Police are searching for a man and woman who failed to appear at court for a hearing which saw six members of a burglary gang sentenced.
John Flynn, 49, and Gracie McCarthy, 21, were due to attend Isleworth Crown Court on April 15 where they were to be sentenced in relation to a spate of burglaries in and around Ruislip in 2014.
Their gang carried out a total of 30 residential robberies between September 29 and December 15 that year. Hillingdon Police responded with a intelligence-led police operation which resulted in the arrests of the seven defendants.
The group used stolen vehicles bearing cloned number plates in their break-ins, often ransacking the homes and making off with high value property and vehicles.
It is not the first time burglars have got their comeuppance in Ruislip. In October last year a group of angry residents prevented thieves escaping from their cul-de-sac until police arrived and arrested them.
Following an earlier trial at Isleworth Crown Court , Flynn was found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary. He was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment in his absence and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Four other men admitted to the same charge. John James Feehan-Flynn, 21, was sentenced to five years and four months’ imprisonment, James Connors, 31, was handed a six-year sentence, Johnnie Liam Flynn, 27, was jailed for six years and nine months and Timmy Connors, 19, was given four years and six months’ imprisonment. The teenager was also sentenced to two years and three years for further burglary offences committed in February and March 2015. The sentences will run consecutively.
McCarthy, and Maisie Neumann, 25, had both pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to acquisition, use and possession of stolen property, contrary to the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Neumann received a nine-month suspended prison sentence, a curfew and is required to attend rehabilitation, while a warrant was issued for the arrest of McCarthy after her failure to attend.
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Each defendant was also granted a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) ranging in length from five to seven years on their release. A CBO aims to tackle the most serious and persistent anti-social individuals where their behaviour has brought them before a criminal court.
They prohibit behaviours deemed as precursors to criminal behaviour and enable police to act to prevent crimes more effectively.
DC Emma Butcher of the Hillingdon Police Proactive Crime Squad said: “These are organised criminals who destroy people’s lives, causing both emotional distress and financial loss to all their victims.
“Losing items of sentimental value which can never be replaced is often a cause of great distress. I hope that this result can at least bring some peace of mind to the victims.
“Additionally, they will be subject to Criminal Behaviour Orders from the minute they are released from custody, a strategy we will be taking with all offenders who commit burglary on our borough.”
In January, an 89-year-old Second World War veteran lost £5,000 in savings when his Ruislip home was burgled .
