Bradford duo behind £150k robberies snared by own trackers
wo men who used high-tech trackers to monitor their victims' movements have been jailed for 15 years after being snared by their own devices.
Michael Crosdale, 28, and Robert Fairweather, 29, stole cash, jewellery and cars in raids in Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield and London in 2021.
Police described their scheme as a "highly organised criminal conspiracy".
men admitted conspiracy to commit burglary and were convicted of robbery following a trial at Leeds Crown Court.
goods worth more than £150,000 between May and September, with their scheme mainly targeting the owners of Chinese restaurants and takeaways.
racking devices fitted to their victims' vehicles enabled the pair to find out where they lived, allowing them to ransack their homes while they were out.
me was discovered after a tracker was recovered from one victim's vehicle.
Specialist investigators found the device was shown at both offenders' addresses and being deployed, regularly logged into, and recovered to be recharged as they targeted their victims.
In June, an 80-year-old man working as a customs agent was attacked and robbed outside his home in London after collecting a delivery of gold from Heathrow Airport.
Electronic evidence showed devices linked to Crosdale and Fairweather checking the tracker, and a vehicle linked to them was shown travelling to London at the time of the robbery and returning with the tracker.
Det Insp Vicky Vessey, said: "This was a highly organised criminal conspiracy making use of tracking technology to target the victims.
"It was however that same technology, which they thought allowed them to keep their distance in the planning of these offences, that helped us to track them down."
In addition to their 15-year jail term, Crosdale, of Manse Road, Burley-in-Wharfedale, and Fairweather, of Ranelagh Avenue, Ravenscliffe, Bradford, were also given a three-year consecutive sentence for drug and proceeds of crime offences.
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