Four men have been jailed for stealing 33 Land Rover Defenders worth approximately £600,000 during an eight-month crime spree. The gang targeted vehicles in car parks and businesses across six police force areas, using tools including an angle grinder, and their coordinated thefts affected victims across several regions.

The men were linked through CCTV, mobile-phone evidence and automatic number plate recognition. Police found clothing matching footage during a raid on Jimmy Butler’s caravan, while Benjamin Hobbs’s Bristol workshop contained stolen vehicle parts and was described as a “chop shop”. Leonard Hodgkins was sentenced to four years and nine months, Jimmy Butler to three years and eight months, Benjamin Hobbs to four years and four months, and David Hodgkins to three years, giving a combined total of more than 15 years.