Three men jailed for Cranleigh crime spree

Three men jailed for Cranleigh crime spree

Three men have been jailed after going on several overnight crime sprees in Cranleigh and across Waverley earlier this year, which included stealing valuables from cars.

Marc Masterton, 22, of Montgomerie Road, Southsea, Scott Gaffney, 20, of Milton Road, Southsea, and Denzel Fewings, 19, of The Grove, Portland, Dorset, were sentenced at Guildford Crown Court on Wednesday 11th September after pleading guilty to numerous offences at an earlier hearing.

Surrey Police officers were first alerted to the activities of these three men after they received numerous reports from residents in Cranleigh, whose cars had been targeted by the trio over a single night.

The three men continued targeting cars in other areas of Waverley, travelling into Surrey from their home addresses in Dorset and Hampshire and stealing valuables which had been left in the vehicles overnight.

Work conducted by the Waverley Specialist Neighbourhood Team and the Local Proactive Unit identified the suspects and led to their arrest and appearance before the courts in May, where they were charged with 88 offences between them.

Due to the severity of the cumulative effect of crimes committed, the matter was referred to Crown Court.

Masterton and Gaffney pleaded guilty to three charges of conspiracy to commit burglary, conspiracy to steal from motor vehicles and conspiracy to commit fraud and were sentenced to 37 months’ and 30 months’ imprisonment respectively.

Fewings pleaded guilty to two charges of conspiracy to steal from motor vehicles and conspiracy to commit fraud and was sentenced to 10 months in a Young Offenders Institute.

Waverley Borough Commander, Inspector Gary Smith said:

The sentences imposed on the offenders today demonstrates the seriousness that the police and courts place on the behaviour of people who wreak havoc in local communities and cause considerable inconvenience to those who were targeted.

The teams involved in bringing these three men to justice have worked hard to identify them and to follow positive leads in order to place them before the court.

It also demonstrates the importance of the public reporting matters to the police – in some cases, insecure vehicles were entered and nothing was taken and some residents were unsure whether to report this or not. However, reporting any unusual, suspicious behaviour or activity assists us in building up an extensive picture of illegal activity and ensures that officers have all the information available when investigating offences.

If you are the victim of crime or have information to pass to the police about criminal or suspicious activity, please contact 101 (999 in an emergency), or via the Surrey Police website at www.Surrey.Police.uk

Alternatively, if you do not wish to leave your name, please call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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